People arriving at Lowestoft Railway Station will have better bus connections to Great Yarmouth, Gorleston and Southwold and tourist attractions including Pleasurewood Hills and Africa Alive! as First Bus begins running its 99 service and X1 services via the station bus interchange.
Image above: First Bus Eastern Counties, Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership, Greater Anglia and Suffolk County Council at the Lowestoft railway station interchange Image Courtesy Nick Strugnell for Greater Anglia.
Following improvements to traffic flows around Lowestoft after the opening of the Gull Wing Bridge, the Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership together with rail operator Greater Anglia held discussions with First Bus Eastern Counties and Suffolk County Council to look at routing more services via the bus interchange at the railway station.
From Tuesday 26 May, buses to Southwold and Great Yarmouth will call at Lowestoft railway station bus interchange every 30 minutes throughout the day enabling those wishing to reach popular tourist attractions or coastal communities to do so without having to walk to the bus station or across to Waveney Road.
Services to Pleasurewood Hills Theme Park, Hopton, Gorleston and Great Yarmouth are available on the X1 route, Monday to Saturday and to Africa Alive! in Kessingland, plus Wrentham, Reydon and Southwold are all stops available on route 99 every day.
The additional bus services calling at the railway station will be a huge boost to connectivity with trains hourly services on both the Wherry Lines between Norwich and Lowestoft and the East Suffolk Line between Ipswich and Lowestoft.
Image above: Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership joins representatives from First Bus, Greater Anglia and Suffolk County Council Credit Nick Strugnell for Greater Anglia.
The initiative also highlights Plus Bus, the integrated rail-and-bus ticket, which includes travel to these destinations within the fare zone. Railcard holders can benefit from additional discounts on already low-cost Plus Bus tickets, making public transport an even more attractive option for families and day-trippers.
Visitors to Africa Alive! can also take advantage of a special offer this summer, with the attraction reducing entry ticket prices by the value of a customer’s Plus Bus ticket when purchased at the attraction’s ticket office. This effectively reimburses the cost of Plus Bus travel while still allowing unlimited bus travel within the Plus Bus zone on the day of travel.
Martin Halliday, Development Officer for the Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership, said:
“Improved connectivity remains a key priority for the Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership. We began discussions with First Bus more than a year ago about how we could better promote integrated services in and around Lowestoft.
“Following the opening of the Gull Wing Bridge and improvements to traffic flows across the town, we have been working together on opportunities to strengthen public transport links along the coast, including connections towards Southwold via Pakefield and Kessingland, and northwards towards Great Yarmouth via Hopton and Gorleston.
“We are delighted to see these enhanced station bus links introduced in time for the summer season. Through the Lowestoft Central Project and our station shop and tourist information office, we have also been supporting visitors with clearer route information and guidance about local bus connections.
“In the coming months, we will be adding further passenger information within the bus interchange at Lowestoft station.”
Paul Martin, Commercial Manager for First Bus in the East of England, said:
“We’re pleased to support our rail partners and the county council in giving visitors an easier way to travel and enjoy local attractions.
“Our team is ready to welcome customers on board this summer for a quick and comfortable journey, which helps reduce traffic on local roads and the problems of congestion.”
Scott Dolling, Partnerships Manager at Greater Anglia, commented:
“We are delighted to support this integrated travel initiative, helping customers enjoy seamless journeys by rail and bus to some of Suffolk’s best-loved visitor destinations.
“The East Suffolk and Wherry Lines provide a scenic and sustainable way to reach the coast, and these enhanced onward connections from Lowestoft station make public transport an even more attractive option for summer leisure travel.”
The Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership have also included the timetables for the X1 and 99 bus services calling at Lowestoft railway station within their forthcoming line guide and railway timetable booklet which will be available free of charge from the Lowestoft station shop and tourist information office and numerous local outlets from early June.
Timetables for the 99 bus service can be found here:
https://www.firstbus.co.uk/sites/default/files/public/node_images/norfolk-suffolk/99%2099A%2005-26v2.pdf
Timetables for the X1 service can be found here:
https://www.firstbus.co.uk/sites/default/files/public/node_images/norfolk-suffolk/X1%20X11%2005-26v2.pdf