A successful campaign by the Bittern Line Community Rail Partnership (CRP) to increase rail services at West Runton Station saw the first of a new hourly service running seven days per week commence last month.

Supported by West Runton Parish Council and the volunteer station adoption group, train operator Greater Anglia were first approached by the Bittern Line CRP over four years ago about an anomaly in the local service pattern. Weekday and Saturday services called at the North Norfolk station hourly, but the Sunday service, one of the busiest days for leisure travel, operated a timetable with trains only calling every two hours.

Following years of discussion, Greater Anglia agreed in February last year to run an hourly service across all seven days when its winter timetable was introduced in December.

On Sunday 14 December, representatives from the Bittern Line CRP and the station group hosted a celebratory event at West Runton to mark the introduction of the new timetable. Free Bittern Line guides, which include a printed version of the timetable, were available along with refreshments, festive treats and Bittern Line souvenirs.

David Pearce, chair of the Bittern Line CRP, said: “The Bittern Line Community Rail Partnership has been campaigning for over four years to see an end to the anomaly which saw Sunday trains at West Runton only calling every two hours when the pattern was hourly for the rest of the week.

“We very much welcome that Greater Anglia have agreed to make this substantial improvement which will see some 13 trains in each direction now calling at the station on Sundays, providing a major boost to connectivity and both the local and visitor economy.”

Jonathan Denby, head of corporate affairs for Greater Anglia, said: “We are pleased to have launched an hourly Sunday service for West Runton, giving customers and the community there an hourly service seven days a week. Wherever practical, we try to develop and improve services in line with local needs, so we’re glad that we can provide this enhancement, which follows local feedback about service aspirations.

“We will keep on working to build the success of the Bittern Line. The progressive improvements we have made over the last 30 years have helped increase passenger numbers on the line from around 200,000 journeys a year in 1994 to over 760,000 now.”

Keep up to date with future news, projects and events from the Bittern Line CRP via their website.