Campaigners call for long-lost railway line to be reinstated

Campaigners are urging County Hall to reinstate a long-lost railway line between two towns.The Middleton Towers Restoration Group has lodged a petition with Norfolk County Council to request a feasibility study about the Lynn and Dereham line.Launched in 1846, the former 11-station route served the area for more than 120 years – but closed in 1968.

However, the section between Middleton Towers and Lynn remains open to freight.The group is calling for the railway to be reinstated to connect “severed” towns as significant housing developments spring up across the region.The 26.5-mile route passed through Middleton, East Winch, Bilney, Narborough, Swaffham, Sporle, Dunham, Fransham, Wendling and Scarning before reaching its destination at Dereham. The restoration group was established to restore Middleton Towers station to its former glory and return it to community use.Having already begun repair works, the campaigners have turned their attention to the full length of the railway line. A spokesman said: “With significant housing developments planned for Norfolk over the coming decade and beyond, it is our view that Norfolk County Council considers mass transit via rail passenger and freight transport as a priority for connecting settlements with a severed railway connection.“We believe that reinstatement of the railway can only reach East Winch at this present time.“Either new stations would be required throughout the entirety of the route, such as at Swaffham, or it would have no stations in some of the smaller settlements previously served by the railway. “However, our group fully understands the restrictions of reinstating even parts of the railway line.“Limitations such as roads, developments and nature reserves may limit a new railway to no stops at all at certain settlements.“Demand for mass transit will only increase and a feasibility study into possible reinstatement options would greatly serve the growing interest and desires of Norfolk residents for better rail connections in the county.”