Downham Market railway station
Railway station in Norfolk, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Downham Market railway station (formerly Downham) is on the Fen line in the east of England, serving the town of Downham Market, Norfolk. It is 86 miles 8 chains (138.6 km) measured from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Littleport and Watlington stations. The station and all trains calling are operated by Great Northern. The station building of 1846, built of carrstone with pale brick dressings, is a Grade II listed building.[3]
Downham Market  | |||||
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The southbound platform at Downham Market in August 2004 | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Downham Market, King's Lynn and West Norfolk England | ||||
| Grid reference | TF602033 | ||||
| Owner | Network Rail | ||||
| Manager | Great Northern | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | DOW[1] | ||||
| Classification | DfT category E | ||||
| History | |||||
| Opened | 27 October 1846 | ||||
Original company | Lynn and Ely Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | Great Eastern Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping | London and North Eastern Railway | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 27 October 1846 | Opened as Downham | ||||
| 12 May 1981 | Renamed Downham Market | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2020–21 |  0.129 million | ||||
| 2021–22 |  0.342 million | ||||
| 2022–23 | 0.386 million | ||||
| 2023–24 | 0.400 million | ||||
| 2024–25 | 0.441 million | ||||
Listed Building – Grade II | |||||
| Feature | Downham Market Railway Station | ||||
| Designated | 16 November 1972 | ||||
| Reference no. | 1171244[2] | ||||
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History
The Lynn and Ely Railway Act 1845 (8 & 9 Vict. c. lv) received royal assent on 30 June 1845. Work started on the line in 1846 and the line and its stations were opened on 27 October 1846.[4] Downham station, as it was known at the time, was situated south of Stow Bardolph and was the temporary terminus of the line.[5] The line to Ely was completed and opened on 25 October 1847.[5] Downham station ceased to be a temporary terminus when the line was opened through to Denver Road Gate.[6] The name was changed to Downham Market from 12 May 1981.[4]
The wooden signal box, built for the Great Eastern Railway in 1881, was listed Grade II in 2013.[7] It is still in use today and is lever-operated.[8]
In early 2017, the station was redecorated to commemorate Network SouthEast, the British Rail division that operated services across England's south east 30 years previously. With assistance from the Railway Heritage Trust, paintwork and signage has been returned to a style that mimics that of the late 1980s.[9]
On 10 August 2009 Network Rail submitted a planning application for a new £1.5 million footbridge, describing the current foot crossing as "one of the most dangerous in the country". The plan was supported by then-station operator First Capital Connect, with an intended completion date of summer 2011.[10][11] The initial application was withdrawn following consultation with local councils, English Heritage and the Railway Heritage Trust and a revised plan submitted in December 2009 following changes to improve the appearance of the bridge.[12] However, this proposal was rejected by King's Lynn and West Norfolk Council in April 2010, citing the lack of accessibility for disabled passengers and the effect of the bridge on the Grade II listed station building.[13] The foot crossing has since been closed and passengers must now use the nearby road level crossing to switch between platforms.[14]
Facilities
The station is well equipped with a ticket office and ticket machine, a car park and cycle storage, a taxi rank, accessible toilets, a refreshment kiosk and help points. There is one waiting room and one waiting shelter.[15]
Passenger volume
| 2004–05 | 2005–06 | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 2008–09 | 2009–10 | 2010–11 | 2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 | 2014–15 | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | 2017–18 | 2018–19 | 2019–20 | 2020–21 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | 2024–25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entries and exits | 277,744 | 276,900 | 307,013 | 361,433 | 365,612 | 360,032 | 406,690 | 432,014 | 452,674 | 460,056 | 491,744 | 500,442 | 523,846 | 533,410 | 549,562 | 512,772 | 129,058 | 341,550 | 386,270 | 399,600 | 440,550 |
The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.
Services
The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[17]
- 1 tph to London King's Cross
- 1 tph to King's Lynn
Additional services call at the station during the peak hours.
| Preceding station |  National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Northern | ||||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Denver Line open, station closed |
Great Eastern Railway |
Stow Bardolph Line open, station closed | ||
