News from the East Anglian Branch of Railfuture, edited by Martin Thorne and Jerry Alderson.
Railfuture News Snippets 397 - 30/04/2026
From 02:00 on 31 May 2026, as part of the planned transition to public ownership, Govia Thameslink Railway Limited (GTR), — which operates four brands: Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express — will transfer to a new company, Thameslink Southern Great Northern Limited (TSGNL). Although the legal operator is changing, the services will be unchanged with the same teams in charge, according to GTR's emails sent to custeorms registered with it. The new operator will stil be called GTR, but it will now standard for Greater Thameslink Railway. The new operator will also have some additional responsibilities, such as the Freedom of Information Act.
Performance figures released by Greater Anglia (GA) show excellent punctuality results have continued across East Anglia, with GA being one of the best performing train operators in Britain over te last three years. Annual performance for the 12 months to 31st March 2026 using the 'Time to 3' (T-3) metric, which measures the arrival within 3 minutes of every single train at every single station it serves, is at 91.84% . This is currently the second highest annual T-3 average nationally, just behind c2c on 91.86%. Norwich to Great Yarmouth is 98.0%, Norwich to Lowestoft 97.5%, Marks Tey to Sudbury: 96.0%, Norwich to Sheringham: 95.9%, Ipswich to Lowestoft 94.8%, Ipswich to Felixstowe: 94.1% and London to Colchester/Clacton: 93.2%. GA also has the highest national annual average using the 'On Time' measure at 80.4%. According to GA's press release, it has the highest score on the long standing Public Performance Measure (which measures arrival at destination within five minutes) with an annual average of 93.2% and the second lowest rate of cancellations at 1.7% (just behind c2c on 1.6%). See news story.
In April, Greater Anglia announced its first "Open Day" at the Crown Point depot in Norwich in over 30 years. The special event is taking place on Saturday 6th June 2026, offering members of the public a rare behind-the-scenes look at a key train maintenance facilitiy. Just over 1,100 tickets were available and they were all snapped up in just over 2 hours! Info about the open day can be seen here
Life-saving defibrillators have been installed on the Wherry Lines between Norwich and Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. See news story. Although the funding was nominally channelled through Greater Anglia's Customer and Community Improvement Fund, the reality is that GA has no money of its own and the cost is met by taxpayers.
The East Suffolk Lines Community Rail Partnership received £5,100 to fund new wayfinding signage at Saxmundham station and in its car park. The smart new signage installed around the station and car park to provide information about additional parking, onward public transport options, and the route to public toilets, specifying both step-free and stepped access options. Thalia Woodgate, East Suffolk Lines Community Rail Partnership Officer, said: "Upgrading the signage at Saxmundham is a simple change that makes a real difference. Clear, easy-to-follow information helps people feel more confident using the station and planning their onward journey. See news story.
Plans have been submitted to convert an office building beside the railway at Shepreth station in Cambridgeshire into 32 flats (a mix of studios and one-bedroom flats). The applicant wrote "Cambridge to Shepreth typically takes 13 to 16 minutes, which makes travel by rail a very desirable option. The new Cambridge South Station will also make the site more accessible from south Cambridge, southern fringe development areas and connect the site with Addenbrooke's Hospital and the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. It is expected that residents would choose the location for its excellent rail links and would not be reliant on car travel." See news story.
The Mid-Norfolk Railway (MNR) is looking for someone to take on the editorial role for its magazine, BlastPipe. To find out more, please contact [samantha.taylor at mnr.org.uk]. The Railway 200 Inspiration Train will be at the MNR from 19th May to 21th May 2026: it is scheduled to be at Dereham station on 19th-20th May and Wymondham Abbey station on 21st May.
The North Norfolk Railway (NNR) with have four weeks of events, including live entertainment, interactive experiences, and the return of its Victorian Train. The early bank holiday weekend from 2nd to 4th May will feature a Classic Comedy Weekend, with live re-creations of BBC sitcoms filmed at Weybourne Station (Dad's Army, 'Allo 'Allo, and Hi-de-Hi). The original Jones' van from Dad's Army will be on display. During the late bank holiday from 23rd to May 23 to 25th, visitors will see the return of the NNR's newest dining experience, 'Brunch on Board'. The NNR's 2026 season will continue through to 1st November, with further special events planned. SEe .
EAST WEST RAIL
East West Rail Company reveals revised proposals following public feedback and launches new eight-week consultation
The East West Rail Company (EWRC) has revealed its updated designs, accelerated construction plan (to deliver the benefits of the railway to communities earlier), and up to five trains an hour in latest consultation, which runs for eight weeks from 14th April to 9th June 2026. Plans include an eastern entrance at Cambridge 'Central' station, which Railfuture has long called for. It also includes a new station at Cambridge East, on the route to Newmarket, although Railfuture is critical of the proposed location, and also the requirement to obtain private sector funding before it can go ahead. View the detailed information at https://eastwestrail.co.uk/consultation/consultation2026/maps-and-plans.
The revised proposals now take into account the plans for the Universal Resort near Bedford and reflect the expected increase in passenger demand along the line and include provision for a station at Stewartby to serve the theme park. As a result, East West Rail (EWR) is now proposed to be built in new delivery phases — replacing the previous connection stages — with new stations and sections of the railway opening as soon as they are ready, rather than waiting for the whole route to be completed. Railfuture endorses the speeding up of parts of the project to bring benefits sooner.
A 'core' EWR service of four trains per hour across the whole route is now proposed, with an additional fifth train running at peak times or potentially all day, if required. This fifth train could be used to enable service extensions to and from locations on the wider rail network beyond the EWR route. Five-carriage trains, rather than four carriages, are also proposed owing to increased demand, requiring an extension to both platforms at Winslow station, which still does not have a train service almost two years after the Bicester-Bletchley route was formally opened.
As previously announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the East Coast Mainline platforms on the new Tempsford station, which will connect the proposed new town of Tempsford to the rail network, will be brought forward five years earlier than originally planned. Construction of a new station at Tempsford would start by 2030, giving Tempsford access to north-south services on the East Coast Main Line, but only on the slow lines (i.e. a two-platform station like Huntingdon), which may cause problems using it as an interchange between inter-city services and East West Rail, particulrtly to Bedford. The EWR platforms would follow in the mid- to late-2030s.
Improvements on the Marston Vale Line will also be accelerated, beginning with a new station at Stewartby to serve the Universal theme park, along with three new fully accessible stations at Woburn Sands, Ridgmont and Lidlington, i.e. four new stations instead of nine smaller legacy ones, plus a relocated Bedford St Johns station to better serve the hospital. Reducing the number of intermediate stations from 10 to five will allow four trains an hour to run between Oxford and Stewartby by the early 2030s.
There will be a completely new station builidng in Bedford, which will also have a new western entrance. The four trains an hour service between Oxford and Stewartby will be then extended to Bedford, by the mid-2030s. The full end-to-end service with up to five trains a hour running all the way from Oxford to Cambridge will be operational by the mid- to late-2030s.
The EWR Company is proposing a Network Rail maintenance delivery nit (MDU) facility at Cambridge North (relocated from Cambridge 'Central' station), which is required for the storage of spare parts, tools and equipment to facilitate a quick response to technical issues on the railway. It also proposes an evacuation footbridge second at Cambridge North station, as is the case at Cambridge South, Beaulieu Park and will be the case at the expanded Cambridge 'Central' station.
Complete the consultation feedback form online at https://eastwestrail.co.uk/feedback or email: [consultation at eastwestrail.co.uk].
Railfuture East Anglia Branch News Snippets 397 - 30/04/2026
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Railfuture is a non-profit making pro-rail campaigning organisation, which is run entirely by unpaid volunteers, including production of Rail News Snippets for the East Anglian branch of Railfuture.
How we spell Railfuture — singular, one word, one capital letter (can be abbreviated to Rf).