Frinton-on-Sea railway station

Frinton-on-Sea railway station is on the Walton branch of the Sunshine Coast Line in the East of England, serving the seaside town of Frinton-on-Sea, Essex. It is 68 miles 66 chains (110.8 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street[1] and is situated between Kirby Cross to the west and Walton-on-the-Naze to the east. Its three-letter station code is FRI.

Frinton-on-Sea
National Rail
General information
LocationFrinton-on-Sea, Tendring
England
Coordinates51°50′17″N 1°14′35″E / 51.838°N 1.243°E / 51.838; 1.243
Grid referenceTM235204
Managed byGreater Anglia
Platforms1
Other information
Station codeFRI
ClassificationDfT category E
History
Original companyTendring Hundred Railway
Pre-groupingGreat Eastern Railway
Post-groupingLondon and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
17 May 1867Opened as Frinton
20 May 2007Renamed Frinton-on-Sea
Passengers
2018/19Increase 0.201 million
2019/20Decrease 0.185 million
2020/21Decrease 51,010
2021/22Increase 0.135 million
2022/23Increase 0.159 million
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

The station was opened by the Tendring Hundred Railway, a subsidiary of the Great Eastern Railway, in 1867.[2] It is currently managed by Greater Anglia, which also operates all trains serving the station.

History

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The station was opened with the name Frinton by the Tendring Hundred Railway (THR) in 1867. The Great Eastern Railway (GER) acquired the THR and the adjacent Clacton-on-Sea Railway on 1 July 1883. The Wivenhoe & Brightlingsea line was absorbed by the GER on 9 June 1893.[3]

The line became part of the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) in 1923 and then the Eastern Region of British Railways in 1948 following nationalisation of the railways.

The station is immediately to the west of a level crossing that provides road access to Frinton. Residents of the town who live inside the gates of the crossing attach a particular status to this fact. These wooden gates were, until 2009, the only manually-operated level crossing gates on the line. The level crossing is now protected by a barrier system.

The station's name was changed to Frinton-on-Sea in 2007.[4]

Services

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In 1929 the LNER introduced luxurious Pullman day excursion trips from Liverpool Street to various seaside resorts. The service known as the Eastern Belle served Felixstowe on Mondays, Frinton and Walton on Tuesdays, Clacton on Wednesdays, and Thorpeness and Aldeburgh on Thursdays and Fridays.[5] The service ended in September 1939 at the outset of World War II.

The current service pattern is:

Operator Route Rolling stock Frequency Notes
Greater Anglia Colchester - Colchester Town - Hythe - Wivenhoe - Alresford - Great Bentley - Weeley - Thorpe-le-Soken - Kirby Cross - Frinton-on-Sea - Walton-on-the-Naze Class 720 1x per hour Monday-Saturday
Greater Anglia Thorpe-le-Soken - Kirby Cross - Frinton-on-Sea - Walton-on-the-Naze Class 720 1x per hour Sunday

Passengers for Clacton-on-Sea must change at Thorpe-le-Soken for a connection, except for the final Thorpe-le-Soken-bound train of the day on weekdays.

References

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  1. ^ "RailRef GE Great Eastern". Archived from the original on 6 January 2013.
  2. ^ Allen, Cecil J (1975). The Great Eastern Railway (Third ed.). Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 237. ISBN 07110-0659-8.
  3. ^ Walsh, B.D.J. (September 1959). Cooke, B.W.C. (ed.). "The Great Eastern Line in the Tendring Hundred". The Railway Magazine. 105 (701). Westminster: Tothill Press Ltd: 641.
  4. ^ Changes to National Rail timetable from Sunday 20 May 2007 Archived 21 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine National Rail. Retrieved 2007-05-19
  5. ^ Watling, John (January 1992). "Pullman cars and the Great Eastern part 5". Great Eastern Journal (69): 6.
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Preceding station   National Rail Following station
Greater Anglia
Sunshine Coast Line
Walton branch