Great Eastern Main Line

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Great Eastern Main Line
Class 745 at Colchester in 2020
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Network Rail
Locale	Greater London East of England
Termini	London Liverpool Street 51°31′08″N 0°04′53″W / 51.5188°N 0.0815°W / 51.5188; -0.0815 (Great Eastern Main Line, London terminus) Norwich 52°37′36″N 1°18′24″E / 52.6267°N 1.3067°E / 52.6267; 1.3067 (Great Eastern Main Line, Norwich terminus)
Stations	27
Service
Type	Inter-city, commuter rail
System	National Rail
Operator(s)	Greater Anglia Elizabeth line c2c (limited services)
Depot(s)	Norwich Crown Point Clacton-on-Sea Ilford Colchester
Rolling stock	Class 345 Aventra Class 357 Electrostar Class 720 Aventra Class 745 FLIRT
History
Opened	1862
Technical
Line length	114 miles 40 chains (184.3 km)
Number of tracks	1–6
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Old gauge	5 ft (1,524 mm) until 1844
Electrification	Mk1 and GEFF 25 kV 50 Hz AC OHLE
Operating speed	100 mph (160 km/h)
Route map

v t e Great Eastern main line
Legend
mi-ch from London Liverpool Street 114-40 Norwich Bittern line to Sheringham and Wherry lines via Brundall Trowse swing bridge over River Wensum Trowse Norwich Victoria Breckland line to Cambridge River Yare Swainsthorpe Flordon to Wymondham Forncett Tivetshall Waveney Valley line to Beccles Burston Scole 94-43 Diss River Waveney Branch line to Eye Mellis Finningham Mid-Suffolk Light Rly Branch line to Ely Haughley 80-09 Stowmarket River Gipping 77-07 Needham Market Claydon River Gipping Bramford River Gipping East Suffolk line to Lowestoft Ipswich Goods Yard to Lower Yard and Ipswich Docks Ipswich depot 68-59 Ipswich Stoke Tunnel ( 16 ch 320 m ) Ipswich Stoke Hill Griffin Wharf branch (goods only) Hadleigh Rly to Hadleigh Bentley River Stour Mayflower line to Harwich Town 59-35 Manningtree Ardleigh Sunshine Coast Line to Clacton and Walton 51-52 Colchester Colchester depot River Colne 46-49 Marks Tey Gainsborough line to Sudbury River Blackwater Kelvedon & Tollesbury Light Rly to Tollesbury Pier 42-18 Kelvedon Maldon branch line Branch line to Braintree 38-48 Witham River Brain 35-74 Hatfield Peverel Beaulieu Park (planned) River Chelmer 29-60 Chelmsford Chelmsford Viaduct A12 road 23-50 Ingatestone Shenfield–Southend line to Southend Victoria Shenfield Junction 20-16 Shenfield 18-16 Brentwood M25 motorway 14-76 Harold Wood A127 road Gidea Park carriage sidings 13-41 Gidea Park Branch line to Upminster 12-30 Romford Romford OHL depot Crowlands 9-79 Chadwell Heath 9-23 Goodmayes 8-46 Seven Kings Fairlop Loop (now site of Ilford depot) 7-29 Ilford River Roding North Circular Road Ilford flyover 6-20 Manor Park Forest Gate Junction to Gospel Oak to Barking line Gospel Oak to Barking line 5-21 Forest Gate 4-39 Maryland Temple Mills branch line to West Anglia Main Line 4-03 Stratford North London line to Richmond Waterworks River Thornton Fields carriage sidings City Mill River Bow Midland Yard Elizabeth line   River Lea Bryant and May works Temple Mills line Bow Junction Bow Curve to London Fenchurch Street Coborn Road Regent's Canal Globe Road & Devonshire Street Bethnal Green East Junction West Anglia Main Line and Lea Valley lines 1-10 Bethnal Green Bethnal Green West Junction East London line Bishopsgate Wheler Street Junction 0-00 London Liverpool Street 1 2 3 1 Suburban line 2 Main line 3 Electric line Connection to Metropolitan Railway

The Great Eastern Main Line (GEML, sometimes referred to as the East Anglia Main Line) is a 114.5-mile (184.3 km) major railway line on the British railway system which connects Liverpool Street station in central London with destinations in east London and the East of England, including Shenfield, Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich and Norwich. Its numerous branches also connect the main line to Southminster, Braintree, Sudbury, Harwich and a number of coastal towns including Southend-on-Sea, Clacton-on-Sea, Walton-on-the-Naze and Lowestoft.^[1]

Its main users are commuters travelling to and from London, particularly the City of London, which is served by Liverpool Street, and areas in east London, including the Docklands financial district via the London Underground and Docklands Light Railway connections at Stratford. The line is also heavily used by leisure travellers, as it and its branches serve a number of seaside resorts, shopping areas and countryside destinations. The route also provides the main artery for substantial freight traffic to and from Felixstowe and Harwich, via their respective branch lines. Trains from Southend Airport also run into London via the GEML.^[2]

The Elizabeth line, which fully opened in November 2022, operates services from Shenfield to London Paddington via Liverpool Street, connecting Essex with Central London and West London. Additionally, it provides a direct rail link between the GEML and the Great Western Main Line.