The Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership (CRP) has celebrated its 25th anniversary with a special event run in conjunction with its local train operator, key partner and core funder, Greater Anglia. Friday 6 June saw guests enjoy a trip on all three Wherry Lines routes between Norwich and Great Yarmouth and Norwich and Lowestoft, on one of Greater Anglia’s state-of-the-art bi-mode trains, before a special reception at Lowestoft railway station.
The Wherry Lines CRP was originally formed in 2000 in a partnership between Norfolk County Council and Anglia Railways. Since then it has gone on to play a valuable role in supporting the promotion and development of the railway between Norwich and Great Yarmouth and Norwich and Lowestoft, bringing the railway closer to the communities it serves, helping to deliver numerous station improvements, supporting better integrated transport links, promoting sustainable travel by rail within the Broads National Park, running numerous education initiatives, raising awareness of rail travel amongst groups who don’t usually use the train and providing additional support to Greater Anglia’s network of volunteer station adopters.
A Greater Anglia class 755 at Great Yarmouth station [credit: Greater Anglia]
The Wherry Lines CRP has also collaborated closely with the Lowestoft Central Project team to play a pivotal role in the restoration and rejuvenation projects at Lowestoft station, including the creation of a public exhibition and meeting space within the former parcels office, numerous station improvements and the opening and year-round operation of the station’s community rail shop and tourist information office.
Other CRP initiatives have included the printing and widespread distribution of local line guides and timetables, creation of a Broads Discovery Hub, improved accessible toilet provision at Great Yarmouth station and, most recently, financial and logistical support to the relocation of the former Oulton Broad North station signal box to the East Anglia Transport Museum.
At Friday’s event, representatives from the Wherry Lines CRP and Greater Anglia were joined by those associated with the partnership both past and present, volunteer station adopters and industry and community stakeholders, marking a quarter of a century of a hugely successful collaboration which has helped transform rail services and stations on the lines from Norwich to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.
The routes are thriving, aided by the service transformation delivered by Greater Anglia’s excellent bi-mode trains, with stunning annual punctuality on the routes of over 97.5% (currently at 97.6% for Norwich to Lowestoft and 98.3% for Norwich to Great Yarmouth). Meanwhile, passenger numbers have also increased with combined passenger journeys on the routes of over 1.079 million in 2024-25 (over 511,000 between Norwich and Lowestoft and over 568,000 between Norwich and Great Yarmouth). In addition, the Wherry Lines and sister partnership the Bittern Line (covering the Norwich to Sheringham line) have been some of the quickest routes in the UK to recover and exceed previous passenger levels following the pandemic.
As part of the celebrations, speeches highlighting the success of the Wherry Lines CRP and thanking those who had contributed to its positive impact were made by Jonathan Denby, Head of Corporate Affairs for Greater Anglia, Chris Mitchell, Chair of the Wherry Lines CRP and Martin Halliday, Community Rail Development Officer for Community Rail Norfolk, parent organisation of Wherry Lines CRP.
Jonathan Denby, Head of Corporate Affairs, Greater Anglia said:
“It is great to see the positive effects of the Wherry Lines CRP over the last 25 years, helping to promote the lines between Norwich and Great Yarmouth and Norwich and Lowestoft and support their development in line with local needs.
“There’s no doubt the CRP has played a valuable role in helping these lines thrive. It’s an excellent example of a CRP and a train operator working together to provide a railway that works for the community that it serves. Thank you to everyone who has been involved in its success and here’s to the next 25 years.”
Martin Halliday, Community Rail Development Officer for Community Rail Norfolk, said,
“We are delighted to welcome so many friends to our celebration today, those who work with us, our volunteers, those that helped form the original partnership and key stakeholders from within the community and rail industry.”
Describing the Parcels Office in which the celebration took place he continued, “We are gathered here at a station and in a room which are both superb examples of what the Community Rail movement, working in collaboration with the rail industry can achieve.”
A celebration cake being cut during the special event [credit: Greater Anglia]
