We are petitioning Norfolk County Council for the consideration of a feasibility study into the reinstatement of the former Lynn and Dereham railway, which closed to passengers in 1968. Only a sand freight service remains, which ends at Middleton Towers.

We believe that the economic benefits, encouragement of the use of public transportation, as well as the building of a transport network made to last for decades to come, must be considered.

The railway line was around 26.5 miles in length at its peak and consisted of twelve stations in the following order:

When the railway connection between King's Lynn and Dereham was severed in 1968, it also severed one of the more direct rail connection between King's Lynn and Norwich, via Wymondham. Reinstatement of this line would enable passengers to travel between King's Lynn and Norwich without the need to go via Ely railway station.

In 2019, Campaign For Better Transport published a report which listed the reinstatement of King's Lynn to Dereham passenger services as 'priority 2 -  feasible projects which require further
development or changed circumstances' (such as housing developments).

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.

At the moment, the line only goes as far as Middleton Towers, where silica sand is loaded onto freight trains by Sibelco UK Ltd. The former station platform buildings of Middleton Towers are undergoing restoration works by the Middleton Towers Restoration Group.

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 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 request stops, or no stops at all at certain settlements. It can be considered that the future dualling of the A47 corridor between King's Lynn and Dereham presents an opportunity to incorporate the provision for railway reinstatement in the future and as such, our group believes that Norfolk County Council considers this in its plans for the A47 corridor.

It is crucial, in our view, to focus on planning for the next few decades rather than think solely about 'the now'. Demand for mass transit will only increase and considering 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.