Place Oulton Broad Station code OUS DfT category F2 Number of platforms 1 | Grid reference TM518922 Managed by Abellio Greater Anglia 2011/12 21,792 | |
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Address The Broads, Beccles Rd, Oulton Broad NR33 8QX, United Kingdom Similar Oulton Broad North rail, Lowestoft railway station, Beccles railway station, Harwich International railway st, Ipswich railway station | ||
Oulton Broad South is one of two railway stations serving Oulton Broad, a suburb of Lowestoft in Suffolk, England, the other station being Oulton Broad North.
Contents
The station is located on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line. After leaving Lowestoft and splitting from the Norwich line, it crosses Mutford Bridge with a view of Lake Lothing to the east and Oulton Broad lake to the west.
The station is served by Abellio Greater Anglia, who operate services between Ipswich and Lowestoft. Trains to London were withdrawn in 2010.
Services
The following services currently call at Oulton Broad South:
One weekday early morning train is extended through to Harwich International and there is a return from there in the evening. From 9 December 2012, Oulton Broad South is served by an hourly service Monday to Saturday and a 2-hourly service on a Sunday (this remains the default frequency as of August 2016). The ORR cite the much improved service as the probable reason for the significant increase in usage in 2013/14.
History
Originally, the station was named Carlton Colville, but it was renamed in later years to Oulton Broad South. The station was part of the 1984 modernisation of the East Suffolk line. By 1986, the line was equipped with automated level crossings and radio signalling. However, to ensure the line's survival, two sections were also singled.
At the eastern end of the platforms the lines passed under a main road from Beccles to Oulton Broad, and just east of this point the line to Lowestoft had a junction to the Kirlkey Branch, a single track branch line designed to service a number of sites on the Southern side of Lake Lothing. This line also served the Kirkley good depot adjacent to Beaconsfield road and the Fen Park. The branch was closed in stages during the 1960s and 1970s, as some of the larger businesses it served closed. The line from Durban Rd to the goods yards was closed in 1967, although much of the track remained in place until the final closure of the line on 31st December 1972. The final section of the goods yard from the bridge in Mill Rd is now a car park, and a school playing field occupies the site of the other 4-siding yard near the park. The line adjacent to the junction with the Lowestoft-Ipswich line is now a residential caravan site, although the remains of the track bed continue along Victoria Rd heading east. Numerous properties have been built on sections of this line. From Kirkley run to Durban Road, much of the track bed is now a footpath/cycleway - between the rears of Notley Road and Kimberley Road.
The signal box at the junction was demolished and no trace remains. Signalling functions were transferred to the box at Oulton Broad North Station.