Newmarket railway station (Suffolk)

Newmarket railway station (Suffolk) was opened by the Great Eastern Railway on 7 April 1902. It is on the Cambridge branch of the Ipswich–Ely line and is 800 yards (730 m) south of the site of the original Newmarket station. Since March 2013, passenger services have been operated by Abellio Greater Anglia.

Newmarket
The platform, looking east
General information
Location	Newmarket, West Suffolk England
Coordinates	52.2383°N 0.4073°E / 52.2383; 0.4073
Grid reference	TL 643 627
Owned by	Network Rail
Managed by	Greater Anglia
Platforms	1
Other information
Station code	NMK
Classification	DfT category F1
History
Original company	Newmarket and Chesterford Railway
Pre-grouping	Great Eastern Railway
Post-grouping	London and North Eastern Railway
Passengers
2018/19	0.355 million
2019/20	0.336 million
2020/21	77,602
2021/22	0.256 million
2022/23	0.303 million
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

v t e Railway stations in Newmarket
Legend
section of line year opened year closed
1854 –– to Bury St Edmunds 1880 –– Chippenham Junction Snailwell Junction to Ely 1879 –– 1854 –– 1879 1966? Warren Hill Junction Warren Hill 1885 c.1948 1854 –– Warren Hill Tunnel 1100 yd 1006 m Newmarket High Level 1848 1902 1879 1902 1848 –– 1858 –– Newmarket 1902 –– 1848 –– 1848 –– to Great Chesterford & London (to 1851) to Cambridge (from 1851)

Description

When built the station consisted of two through platforms (760 feet on the down side and 1170 feet long on the up side) and an east-facing up side bay. The two through platforms, generously provided with canopies, were connected by a subway faced with white-glazed bricks. There were buildings on both platforms which were of brick construction with white stone reliefs. On the up side there was a large refreshment room (with floor space of 1,648 feet) with kitchen and cellar as well as stores for footwarmers and lamps. Here separate rooms for porters, ticket collectors and inspectors were supplied as well as a general waiting room, a waiting room for ladies travelling third class and more luxurious first class general and ladies waiting rooms. All of these facilities were equipped with lavatories.

A wooden tiled and panelled booking office was located midway along the station buildings. Also located on this platform was the parcels and stationmaster’s (a Mr. Barrett at the opening) office and a telegraph office. The down side buildings were less extensive but contained the full range of waiting rooms, a smaller refreshment room and booking office as well as a bicycle store. The station was built by Rugby firm Parnell and Son under GER supervision and was electrically lit throughout. A signal box was provided at the east end of the up platform and some goods facilities including cattle pens were also located to the east of the station. The signal box was built by contractors McKenzie and Holland.^[1]

History

Newmarket station in 1970

Following the Railways Act 1921 Newmarket station was operated by the London and North Eastern Railway from 1 January 1923. After nationalisation in 1948 the station was operated by the Eastern Region of British Railways from 1 January 1948. British Railways demolished the buildings on the up platform and a number on the down side in September 1965.^[2] Although general goods traffic ceased in 1969 there was a grain terminal operated by the firm Dower Wood located north east of the station that received traffic until summer 1991. The station buildings at the "New Station" (52.2377°N 0.4059°E / 52.2377; 0.4059 (Newmarket railway station (1902))) were sold, and the current station uses the east end of the down platform and is equipped with basic passenger shelters.

Further line rationalisation took place in 1978 when on 1 October tokenless block working was introduced between Newmarket and Dullingham stations. Five years later in May 1983 the line between Dullingham and Coldham Lane Junction was singled leaving a mile long passing loop at Dullingham.^[3] In April 1994, Railtrack became responsible for the maintenance of the infrastructure. Railtrack was succeeded by Network Rail in 2002.

Passenger services

Passenger services have been operated by the following franchises:

• April 1994 - December 1996 - Operated as a non-privatised business unit under the InterCity name
• January 1997 - March 2004 - Anglia Railways - owned by GB Railways but bought out by FirstGroup in 2003 ^[4][5]
• April 2004 - February 2012 - National Express East Anglia^[6][7]
• March 2013 – present - Abellio Greater Anglia^[8]

The following services in the May 2016 timetable call at Newmarket:^[9]

Operator	Route	Material	Frequency
Greater Anglia	Cambridge - Dullingham - Newmarket - Kennett - Bury St Edmunds - Thurston - Elmswell - Stowmarket - Needham Market - Ipswich	Class 755	1x per hour

The services in the May 2019 timetable are similar, starting weekdays and Saturdays at 06:09 then approximately hourly to 22:20. The Sunday timetable is two-hourly from 08:31 to 22:01.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Dullingham		Greater Anglia Ipswich to Ely Line		Kennett

References

1. Robertson, Alic (April 2002). "Large & Handsome - a new station in Newmarket". Great Eastern Journal. Vol. 110. Great Eastern Railway Society. pp. 7–12.
2. Robertson, Alic (April 2002). "Large & Handsome - a new station in Newmarket". Great Eastern Journal. Vol. 110. Great Eastern Railway Society. p. 12.
3. Lock, Rod (January 1987). "Dullingham". Great Eastern Journal. 89: 30.
4. "GB Railways wins Anglia" The Railway Magazine issue 1149 January 1997 page 11
5. National Express wins rail franchise The Daily Telegraph 22 December 2003
6. National Express Group Announced as Preferred Bidder for new Greater Anglia Franchise Strategic Rail Authority 22 December 2003
7. National Express wins rail franchise The Telegraph 22 December 2003
8. "Abellio has been awarded the Greater Anglia franchise" (Press release). Abellio. 20 October 2011. Archived from the original on 25 October 2011.
9. Table 14 National Rail timetable, May 2016