Bishop's Stortford–Braintree branch line

v t Bishop's Stortford –Braintree branch line
Legend
Braintree branch line to Witham Braintree Rayne Bannister Green Halt Felsted Dunmow Easton Lodge Takeley Stane Street Halt Hockerill Halt Bishop's Stortford West Anglia Main Line

The Bishop's Stortford–Braintree branch line was an 18-mile-long (29 km) railway line connecting Bishop's Stortford, Dunmow and Braintree. The Engineer's Line Reference for the line is BSB.

History[]

The line was one of several schemes promoted in the 19th century that included north-south lines connecting Great Dunmow with Epping, Halstead and/or Saffron Walden. The line was proposed by the , as it connected to the Northern & Eastern Railway's trunk route at Bishop's Stortford. However, the Eastern Counties Railway opposed it, as they wanted to extend the from Ongar towards Great Dunmow. This line was never built; instead local businessmen persuaded the ECR to build the line from Bishop's Stortford to Dunmow and Braintree, which received Parliamentary approval in 1861.^[1]

Construction was delayed until 1864 because of problems with land purchases, by which time the Great Eastern Railway had taken over ownership. The line opened on 22 February 1869 serving Takeley, Felstead and Rayne.^[1] Easton Lodge opened in 1895, Hockerill Halt in 1910, and Stane Street and Bannister Green Halt in 1922.^[2]

The line was single track with passing loops at Bishop's Stortford, Dunmow, Takeley, Rayne and Braintree. Goods sidings were provided at Hockerill Halt, Takeley, Easton Lodge to supply US Air Force bases at Stansted and Easton Lodge), Dunmow, Felsted for general and use by the sugar beet factory, and Rayne.

A viaduct crossed the River Chelmer to the south of Great Dunmow; it was demolished in the 1970s to make way for the A1256 Great Dunmow bypass.

Passenger numbers were reasonable at first, as were goods services that transported wheat, barley, milk, coal and livestock towards London. During World War II, the line was at peak capacity for transporting military personnel and goods for nearby US air bases.^[1] Like many minor branch lines, it was marked for closure following the war. The last passenger services ran on 3 March 1952, though it was still practical for goods services. These were gradually reduced because of competition with road transport, and the line closed to freight on 17 February 1972. A special train for rail enthusiasts ran that July, after which the line was closed. Braintree remained connected to the rail network via the branch to Witham.^[3]

Flitch Way[]

The tracks have been removed, but most of the line formation remains as the Flitch Way country park, a walking and cycling route.^[4]

Future developments[]

Several proposals to reopen the line have been made but none have come close to being realised.^[2] In January 2018, Bishop's Stortford Council called for restoration of the line as part of a consultation on new communities.^[5] The line has been identified as being of significant value and feasible for restoration with work required mainly at Braintree, Dunmow and a diversion to join the National Rail network near Stansted Airport.^[6]

In January 2019, the Campaign for Better Transport's report identified the line between Braintree and Stansted Airport as Priority 2 for reopening. Priority 2 is for lines which require further development or a change in circumstances (such as housing developments).^[7]

References[]

Bibliography

Further reading[]

• Peter Paye (2010). Bishop's Stortford, Dunmow and Braintree Branch. Oakwood Press. ISBN 978-0-85361-708-2.
• David Gridley (2016). Lost And Found, Journey to a Forgotten Railway. Slowcoach Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9564128-1-2.

http://www.stortfordhistory.co.uk/guide11/braintree-branchline/ Bishop’s Stortford, Dunmow and Braintree Branch Line. Downloaded 25 May 2018.