History of the Railway

The railway at Ipswich dates from 1846 and that at Felixstowe from May 1877. Due to the busy port of Felixstowe the line is still doing extensive business in both passenger and freight traffic today.

Recent Developments

Like all branch lines the local stations have all lost their goods facilities, but recent investment in the branch has seen new signalling and a loop extension at Derby Road enabling two full-size freightliner trains to pass.

A Journey Along the Line

In this book we take a journey over the line from Ipswich to Felixstowe stopping at all the stations to view what has changed over the last hundred years. Unusually for today this branch line retains its passenger service, although some stations have closed, such as Orwell, Felixstowe Beach and Pier.

Future Outlook

But with healthy passenger and freight revenues the branch has a secure future.