Ipswich

Ipswich
Description	Great Eastern Mainline between Ipswich and Diss, and the Felixstowe branch.
Country	United Kingdom
Time period	2024
Train Operating Company	Greater Anglia
Simulation difficulty
Author	Oxalin
Repository	Ipswich
Website	Ipswich
Rolling Stock	Class 720 Class 745 Class 755
Route map Norwich Diss Loop Felixstowe Diss Felixstowe South Quay Bury St Edmunds Elmswell Trimley Felixstowe North Quay Stowmarket Stowmarket Loops Derby Road Needham Market Lowestoft Claydon Siding Claydon Loop Westerfield Ipswich Yard Ipswich Down Sidings Ipswich Griffin Wharf Great Eastern Main Line

Ipswich is a junction station on the Great Eastern Main Line between London Liverpool Street and Norwich. The station serves as the terminus for services from Cambridge and Peterborough via Bury St Edmunds, Felixstowe, and Lowestoft, in addition to through services on the mainline.

This simulation includes the route north of Ipswich through Diss, as well as the Felixstowe branch. The north and south docks at Felixstowe serve a large amount of freight traffic every day, with trains running along the branch and out through Bury St Edmunds to reach the rest of the country, or down through Ipswich towards London.

The single track line to Felixstowe presents quite a restriction to services, resulting in freight trains having long dwells at the various passing locations.

Timetable

A timetable for 11th September 2024 has been included, running from 04:00 until about 01:30 the next morning. The standard off peak passenger service pattern is:

Ipswich Services
Train Operating Company	Origin	Destination	Frequency (tph)
Greater Anglia	Norwich	London Liverpool Street	2
	Ipswich		1
		Felixstowe	1
		Lowestoft	1
		Cambridge	1
		Peterborough	0.5

Some services run through to and from Harwich International (to connect with ferries), and Colchester (to reach the depot).

There are also plenty of freight services throughout the day.

Operational Tips

• All trains through Ipswich have an allocated platform in their description - try to keep to these and every train should be able to run on time.
• Trains tend to have some padding time approaching Ipswich - don't be afraid to hold the train outside the station for a bit if required for another train to make an on time departure.
• Freight trains may need to wait at junctions (for example when leaving the Bury St Edmunds branch near Stowmarket). These generally aren't included in their schedules. Check which train should be arriving at Stowmarket earlier and don't be afraid to hold a freight service at a red signal for a bit if necessary.
• Be careful with the points at Trimley - if they are not set correctly before you set the route, a passenger service may go around the station rather than through it!