The "Wherry Lines" running east from Norwich to the coastal towns of Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft are operated by Greater Anglia. A shortage of DMUs led the hire of Class 37s and coaches from DRS to operate a few services until the operator received new bi-mode MUs from Stadler in late 2019.
First built was the 20 mile line from Norwich to Great Yarmouth via Reedham, which opened as early as 1844. The route wasn't the shortest possible but it did go round a range of hills between Brundall and Acle avoiding the civil engineering required to go over or through them.
Three years later an 11 mile branch was opened from Reedham to Lowestoft. The direct line to Great Yarmouth via Acle, which was 2 miles shorter than the Reedham route, wasn't completed until 1883, by which time the lines were operated by the Great Eastern Railway.
The introduction of the class 755s in 2019, replacing the Class 37s and older DMUs, coincided with the replacement of the remaining semaphore signals on the line.
Three years later an 11 mile branch was opened from Reedham to Lowestoft. The direct line to Great Yarmouth via Acle, which was 2 miles shorter than the Reedham route, wasn't completed until 1883, by which time the lines were operated by the Great Eastern Railway.
The introduction of the class 755s in 2019, replacing the Class 37s and older DMUs, coincided with the replacement of the remaining semaphore signals on the line.