Buckenham railway station
Buckenham  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Buckenham, Broadland, Norfolk England | ||||
| Grid reference | TG350056 | ||||
| Manager | Greater Anglia | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | BUC[1] | ||||
| Classification | DfT category F2 | ||||
| History | |||||
Original company | Yarmouth and Norwich Railway[2] | ||||
| Pre-grouping | Great Eastern Railway[2] | ||||
| Post-grouping | LNER | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 1 May 1844 | Opened[2] | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2020/21 |  98 | ||||
| 2021/22 |  300 | ||||
| 2022/23 | 354 | ||||
| 2023/24 | 360 | ||||
| 2024/25 | 284 | ||||
| |||||
| |||||
Buckenham railway station is a stop on the Wherry Lines, which serves the village of Buckenham in Norfolk, England. It is 7 miles 62 chains (12.5 km) down the line from Norwich on the routes to Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth; it is situated between Brundall and Cantley.[3] It is managed by Greater Anglia, who operate all services at the station.
History
The Yarmouth and Norwich Railway Act 1842 (5 & 6 Vict. c. lxxxii) authorising the Yarmouth and Norwich Railway (Y&NR), the first public railway line in Norfolk, received royal assent on 18 June 1842. Work started on the line in April 1843 and it opened on 1 May 1844.[4] In June 1845, the Y&NR was amalgamated with the Norwich and Brandon Railway and Buckenham station became a Norfolk Railway asset.[2]
The station buildings are currently used as a recording studio.[5]
Location
RSPB Buckenham Marshes is located next to the station, with RSPB Strumpshaw Fen a short walk away. Strumpshaw Hall Steam Museum is also located in the area.[6]
Facilities
There are shelters, departure screens and cycle spaces at the station.[7] As there are no facilities to purchase tickets, passengers must buy one in advance, or from the guard on the train. The platforms themselves are staggered 150 yards apart.[8]
Passenger volume
According to usage estimates, Buckenham is one of the least used stations in the country, registering just 216 passenger entries/exits in 2018/19; this is partly due to the limited number of services that stop at the station.[9] It was the least used station in Great Britain in 2000/01, with just 22 passengers.[8]
| 2004–05 | 2005–06 | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 2008–09 | 2009–10 | 2010–11 | 2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 | 2014–15 | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | 2017–18 | 2018–19 | 2019–20 | 2020–21 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | 2024–25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entries and exits | 39 | 29 | 22 | 97 | 132 | 154 | 106 | 100 | 72 | 80 | 88 | 134 | 122 | 202 | 216 | 212 | 98 | 300 | 354 | 360 | 284 |
The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.
Services
The station has a limited service. There is one train to Norwich and one to Lowestoft on weekdays and Saturdays. On Sundays, there are six stopping trains westbound towards Norwich; eastbound, seven trains from Norwich call at the station, with three to Great Yarmouth, via Berney Arms, and four trains to Lowestoft.[10] 100% of trains from Buckenham in 2024 arrived on time, one of five stations with this record.[11]
| Preceding station | National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brundall | Greater Anglia Wherry Lines |
Cantley | ||
Cultural references
In 2018, several scenes in Danny Boyle's film Yesterday were filmed at the station.[5]
References
- ↑ "Railway Codes". railwaycodes.org.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- 1 2 3 4 Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 47. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
- ↑ Brailsford, Martyn, ed. (2025). Railway Track Diagrams; 2: Eastern (6th ed.). Frome: TRACKmaps. p. 9. ISBN 978 1999627188.
- ↑ Quick 2023, p. 108.
- 1 2 Sennitt, Owen (23 August 2021). "Have you spotted any Greater Anglia locations on the big screen?". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
- ↑ "Buckenham Station: ONward Travel Information" (PDF). assets.nationalrail.co.uk. National Rail. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
- ↑ "Buckenham". Greater Anglia. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- 1 2 Roberts, Stephen (January–February 2022). "Top of the stops: our least used stations". Rail (magazine). No. 949. pp. 56–61.
- 1 2 "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal". dataportal.orr.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
- ↑ "Timetables". Greater Anglia. 10 December 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
- ↑ Wright, Oliver (6 March 2025). "Stations will have to display how often trains are delayed". The Times. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
Bibliography
- Quick, Michael (2023). Railway Passenger Stations in Great Britain: A Chronology (PDF) (5th ed.). London: Railway and Canal Historical Society.
External links
- Train times and station information for Buckenham railway station from National Rail
- Map sources for Buckenham railway station
- Buckenham - Least Used Station In Norfolk - 2018 YouTube video by Geoff Marshall documenting the facilities and services available at the station