Sign the petition today!

Great Yarmouth residents and businesses are dismayed at the unreliable train service provided by Greater Anglia between Norwich and the town. For several years the heavily used line has been plagued by frequent cancellations and an unreliable, often late, rail service that people can no longer rely upon.

As your local Member of Parliament, I know from first-hand experience how frustrating it is when you can’t be sure that you will get to your destination on time or that the train you were hoping to travel on hasn’t been cancelled. This derisory service means that many wishing to commute to Norwich are unable to do so. Instead, they are forced to drive to the city, putting extra pressure on our road network and the A47 Acle Straight. For those heading to London, it is almost impossible to rely on the Great Yarmouth section to meet your connection at Norwich. Over-reliance on a rail replacement bus service does nothing to improve the service. When there is bus replacement passengers experience over-crowded buses often having to stand for the whole journey. In summer months the problem is acute, as many holiday-makers head to the coast for day trips or extended stays. Replacement buses simply don’t have the space to cope with this number of passengers with luggage.

This is not a new problem. I’ve highlighted how rail companies treat Great Yarmouth as the end of the line, not worthy of attention or investment for over a decade now when I first launched my “Fix our Station” campaign in 2009. Last year, I contacted Greater Anglia managers to demand answers as to why the train service to Great Yarmouth is so poor.

A staggering 4,500 trains between Great Yarmouth and Norwich have been delayed since 2015. Although train punctuality has improved it is still unacceptable that 93.4% of trains are running on time – some of the worst figures across the Greater Anglia network. Whilst Greater Anglia try and blame Network Rail, and others, much of the responsibility lies with them.

You can join me in making sure Great Yarmouth’s voice is heard so that we see real improvements to our rail service by signing my “Keep Great Yarmouth on track” petition below.

What action can you take if your train is cancelled or delayed?

Make you sure you make a formal complaint to Greater Anglia. If we just grumble to others or suffer in silence, the train company will never make the improvements we need.

You can make a complaint to Greater Anglia online here.

And for train journeys that are more than 15 minutes late, you can claim a partial or full refund on your train fare here.