Downham Market
The southbound platform at Downham Market
General information
Location	Downham Market, King's Lynn and West Norfolk England
Grid reference	TF602033
Owned by	Network Rail
Managed by	Great Northern
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	DOW
Classification	DfT category E
History
Opened	27 October 1846
Original company	Lynn and Ely Railway
Pre-grouping	Great Eastern Railway
Post-grouping	London and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
27 October 1846	Opened as Downham
1 June 1981	Renamed Downham Market
Passengers
2018/19	0.550 million
2019/20	0.513 million
2020/21	0.129 million
2021/22	0.342 million
2022/23	0.386 million
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Downham Market railway station (formerly Downham) is on the Fen line in the east of England, serving the town of Downham Market, Norfolk. It is 86 miles 8 chains (138.6 km) measured from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Littleport and Watlington stations. Its three-letter station code is DOW.

The station and all trains calling are operated by Great Northern (with service to and from London King's Cross.)

The station building of 1846, built of carrstone with pale brick dressings, is a Grade II listed building.^[1]

History

The Lynn & Ely Railway Act received the Royal Assent on 30 June 1845. Work started on the line in 1846 and the line and its stations were opened on 27 October 1846. Downham station was situated south of Stow Bardolph and was the temporary terminus of the line. The line to Ely was completed and opened on New Year's Day 1847. Downham station ceased to be a temporary terminus when the line was opened through to Denver Road Gate.^[2]

The new line connected King's Lynn and its harbour with Ely and trains to London.

The wooden signal box, built for the Great Eastern Railway in 1881, was listed Grade II in 2013.^[3]

In early 2017, the station was redecorated to commemorate Network SouthEast, the British Rail division that operated services across England's south east 30 years previously. With assistance from the Railway Heritage Trust, paintwork and signage has been returned to a style that mimics that of the late 1980s.^[4]

Services

Great Northern operate all off-peak services at Downham Market using Class 387 EMUs.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:^[5]

• 1 tph to London King's Cross
• 1 tph to King's Lynn

During the peak hours, additional Great Northern services run to the station.

A single Greater Anglia service to and from London Liverpool Street called at this station until it was withdrawn in May 2023.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Littleport		Great Northern Fen Line		Watlington
	Historical railways
Denver Line open, station closed		Great Eastern Railway Fen Line		Stow Bardolph Line open, station closed

Footbridge

On 10 August 2009 Network Rail submitted a planning application for a new £1.5 million footbridge, describing the current foot crossing as "one of the most dangerous in the country". The plan was supported by then station operator First Capital Connect, with an intended completion date of summer 2011.^[6][7] The initial application was withdrawn following consultation with local councils, English Heritage and the Railway Heritage Trust and a revised plan submitted in December 2009 following changes to improve the appearance of the bridge.^[8] However, this proposal was rejected by King's Lynn and West Norfolk Council in April 2010, citing the lack of accessibility for disabled passengers and the effect of the bridge on the Grade II listed station building.^[9]

The foot crossing has since been closed and passengers must now use the nearby road level crossing to switch between platforms.^[10]