Woodbridge
National Rail
General information
LocationWoodbridge, East Suffolk
England
Coordinates52°05′24″N 1°19′05″E / 52.090°N 1.318°E / 52.090; 1.318
Grid referenceTM273487
Managed byAbellio Greater Anglia
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeWDB
ClassificationDfT category F1
History
Original companyEast Suffolk Railway
Pre-groupingGreat Eastern Railway
Post-groupingLondon and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
1 June 1859Opened
18 April 1966Closed to freight
Passengers
2018/19Increase 0.210 million
2019/20Decrease 0.209 million
2020/21Decrease 50,570
2021/22Increase 0.169 million
2022/23Increase 0.190 million
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Woodbridge railway station is on the East Suffolk Line in the east of England, serving the town of Woodbridge, Suffolk. It is 10 miles 19 chains (16.5 km) down the line from Ipswich and 79 miles (127 km) measured from London Liverpool Street; it is situated between Westerfield and Melton. Its three-letter station code is WDB.

The station was opened in 1859. Today it is managed by Abellio Greater Anglia, which also operates all trains that call.

History

The railway line connecting the East Suffolk Railway (ESR) at Halesworth with the Eastern Union Railway (EUR) (although since 1854 this had been leased by the Eastern Counties Railway) at Ipswich was built in two parts: the portion of this line south of Woodbridge was built by the EUR; Woodbridge station and the portion of line north of there was built by the ESR.[1] The line opened on 1 June 1859,[1] and Woodbridge station opened with the line.[2] The ESR was absorbed by the ECR on opening day.[1] The station buildings were designed by Frederick Barnes, who also designed other Suffolk stations such as Thurston, Elmswell and Bealings.[3]

On 1 July 1862, the ECR and other small railway companies amalgamated to become the Great Eastern Railway (GER).[4] At the 1923 Grouping, the GER was amalgamated with other companies to form the London and North Eastern Railway;[5] this in turn was a constituent of British Railways at the start of 1948.

On 1 January 1927 there was a train crash at Woodbridge station. A wagon coupling had broken at Bealings and when the engine stopped at Woodbridge, the rear portion running downhill smashed into the back of the stationary train. Only one minor injury was recorded.[6]

The station's goods yard closed on 18 April 1966.[7] The ticket office closed with the introduction of Paytrains on 7 March 1967.

With the privatisation of British Rail, ownership of the line and station passed to Railtrack on 1 April 1994. The franchise to operate the passenger services on this route was won by Anglia Railways in 1997; in 2004 National Express won the franchise and operated services using the branding 'one', which was renamed National Express East Anglia in 2008. In 2012, the franchise passed to the current operator, Abellio Greater Anglia.

On 28 January 2003 a train collided with a car on the ungated level crossing leading to the marina.[8]

On 13 December 2010 a train hit a car on a level crossing close to Woodbridge station.[9]

In spring 2021 due to increasing number of people using the crossings, the barriers at Haywards and Ferry Lane level crossings were upgraded to full barriers making them safer.[10]

Services

As of December 2019, the typical Monday-Sunday off-peak service at Woodbridge is as follows:

Operator Route Rolling stock Typical frequency
Abellio Greater Anglia Lowestoft - Oulton Broad South - Beccles - Brampton (on request) - Halesworth - Darsham - Saxmundham - Wickham Market - Melton - Woodbridge - Ipswich Class 755 1x per hour in each direction

Direct trains to and from London Liverpool Street were withdrawn in 2010.

One weekday early-morning train is extended through to Harwich International, with a return journey in the evening.[11]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Allen 1956, p. 216.
  2. ↑ Butt 1995, p. 253.
  3. ↑ Robertson, Alic (January 2017). "Focus on Woodbridge (letter)". Great Eastern Journal. 169: 45.
  4. ↑ Allen 1956, p. 46.
  5. ↑ Allen 1956, p. 199.
  6. ↑ Cooper 1982, p. 33.
  7. ↑ McCarthy, McCarthy & Cobb 2007, p. 112.
  8. ↑ BBC 2003.
  9. ↑ Adwent 2011.
  10. ↑ NetworkRail 2021.
  11. ↑ Table 13 National Rail timetable, May 2016
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Woodbridge railway station.
Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Abellio Greater Anglia
Historical railways
Line and station open
Great Eastern Railway
Line open, station closed
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