The Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership and the Lowestoft Central Project are delighted to have been supported by teams from Network Rail recently, making significant progress in efforts to improve the approaches to Lowestoft station and assist in a heritage initiative.
Network Rail colleagues from various regional teams collaborated to tidy a large area of railway land adjacent to platform 4 and undertook construction of two track panels which will be inserted into the rails alongside platform 4, this work will in turn facilitate a long-held aspiration to install track and ballast in an area adjacent to the station buffer stops, further enhancing the area and assisting in efforts to celebrate the stations heritage.
The team on the day was made up of engineers and management from Permanent Way, Signalling & Telecommunications, Offtrack, Electrification & Plant, Rail Management and Infrastructure Maintenance, all based at the companies Ipswich Delivery Unit. Materials to site were arranged by the Lowestoft Permanent Way team and Vegetation removal was undertaken by a team from Norwich Offtrack.
As much of the station surrounds are classed as operational railway, this has meant that improvements such as vegetation clearance cannot be done by volunteers and therefore both the Wherry Lines and Lowestoft Central Project are very appreciative of the Network Rail initiative.
Martin Halliday, Development Officer at Community Rail Norfolk on behalf of the Wherry Lines and Lowestoft Central Project said; “We are hugely grateful to our Network Rail colleagues for giving their time and expertise in support of our aspirations for Lowestoft station, the work undertaken has provided a significant improvement to the approaches by rail into the station and the creation of new track panels will in turn enable us to undertake further aesthetic improvements to the area around the buffer stops, with the opportunity to utilise some authentic railway infrastructure.”
The Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership together with the Lowestoft Central Project have been working to restore and rejuvenate much of Lowestoft Railway Station over the past decade with a number of initiatives including the restoration and repurposing of the former Parcels Office into a Public Exhibition Space, operation of a Community Rail Shop and Tourist Information Office, installation of modern low energy lighting housed in Victorian style casement lamps and the restoration and reopening of doorways, better connecting the station with the town it serves.
Other initiatives have included working with train operator Greater Anglia to paint the station in a heritage livery, relocation and repair of the secure cycle storage facility, maintaining numerous planting displays, improved onward travel information, signage and poster frames and a series of interpretation panels retelling important events in the station history.
Throughout this time, both the Wherry Lines and Lowestoft Central teams have been pleased to work with Network Rail on several initiatives including the securing of railway land to help prevent trespass and anti-social behaviour, installation of living hedge creating a new wildlife corridor, materials for the station heritage quarter and opportunities for the public to visit Lowestoft Signal Box and the Edwardian Swing Bridge at Somerleyton.
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