| Felixstowe branch line | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Overview | |||
| Status | Operational | ||
| Owner | Network Rail | ||
| Locale | Suffolk, England | ||
| Termini | |||
| Stations | 4 | ||
| Service | |||
| Type | Heavy rail | ||
| System | National Rail | ||
| Operator(s) |
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| Rolling stock | |||
| History | |||
| Opened | 1 May 1877 | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 12 miles 5 chains (19.4 km) | ||
| Number of tracks | 1 | ||
| Character | Secondary | ||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge | ||
| Operating speed | 75 mph (121 km/h) | ||
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The Felixstowe branch line is a railway branch line in Suffolk, England, that connects the Great Eastern Main Line to Felixstowe and its port.
The line is 12 miles 5 chains (19.4 km) in length from Westerfield to Felixstowe. The stations and all passenger services are operated by Greater Anglia. The passenger services originate at Ipswich but the branch itself starts one station further along at Westerfield. The line also carries freight trains operated by DB Schenker, Freightliner and GB Railfreight, to the port of Felixstowe.
The line was opened by the Felixstowe Railway & Pier Company in 1877, although the first station in Felixstowe was not in the town but at the company's pier on the River Orwell. The railway was sold to the Great Eastern Railway in 1887. A station near Felixstowe town centre was opened in 1898 and this has been the only station in the town since 1967. Freight traffic has increased significantly since that time, leading to the opening of a second route to the port in 1987.
As of December 2016 passenger service frequency on the line is typically one train per hour in each direction between Ipswich and Felixstowe. The timetabled journey time from one terminus to the other is 26 minutes.