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_p45b_-_(Norwich)_Bridge_and_Station.jpg) Norwich station in 1851 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | 1845–1862 |
| Predecessor | Yarmouth & Norwich Railway Norwich & Brandon Railway |
| Successor | Great Eastern Railway |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Length | 58 miles (93 km) |
The Norfolk Railway was an early railway company that controlled a network of 94 miles around Norwich, England. It was formed in 1845 by the amalgamation of the Yarmouth and Norwich Railway opened in 1844, and the Norwich and Brandon Railway, not yet opened. These lines were built out of frustration that the Eastern Counties Railway line that was expected to connect Norwich to London failed to be completed. The Norfolk Railway also leased the Lowestoft Railway and Harbour Company, and built a branch to Dereham and Fakenham, opened in 1846 and 1849 respectively.
It was successful in connecting Norwich to the emerging railway network, by connecting at Brandon with a line from London via Cambridge and also a line from the Midlands through Peterborough. However as a local line it was dependent on bigger partners, and it was threatened by new competing lines, so that its independence was always at risk. In 1848 it agreed with the larger Eastern Counties Railway that the ECR would operate its line, reducing the Norfolk Railway to a financial company only. In 1862 it amalgamated with other companies to form the Great Eastern Railway.
Its first lines, from Great Yarmouth to Norwich and Norwich to Brandon, continue in use at the present day as important regional routes, and although the Dereham and Fakenham branch closed to passengers in the 1960s, the majority of this line remains open as the Mid-Norfolk Railway.