- Mayflower Line
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Mayflower Line Overview Type Heavy rail Locale Essex
East of EnglandOperation Owner Network Rail Operator(s) National Express East Anglia Rolling stock British Rail Class 315 occasionally
British Rail Class 321
British Rail Class 360Technical Line length ~24 mi (39 km) Track gauge Standard gauge Electrification 25 kV AC OHLE Mayflower Line Legend
GEML towards London 
59m 35ch Manningtree 
GEML towards Norwich 61m 14ch Mistley 
Bradfield 65m 06ch Wrabness 
68m 72ch Harwich International 
Former alignment via 'The Hangings' 
70m 19ch Dovercourt 
70m 60ch Harwich Town The Mayflower Line is a branch railway line from Manningtree to Harwich in the county of Essex in England. Passenger services are operated by National Express East Anglia. The line is part of the Network Rail Strategic Route 7, SRS 07.07 and is classified as a London and South East commuter line.[1]
History
Eastern Counties Railway had originally proposed plans to extend the East Coast Main Line from Colchester to Harwich although this was a cause for concern to Ipswich which was a rival port.[2]
In 1846 a railway line from Manningtree to Harwich proposed by Eastern Union Railway (EUR) was approved by the Railway Commissioners. In 1853 an agreement was reached between the companies with the Eastern Counties Railway taking over the working of the EUR from 1 January 1854. The line opened on 15 August 1854.[2]
In 1862 the Eastern Counties Railway and the Eastern Union Railway merged to become the Great Eastern Railway.[2]
Passenger services are currently operated by National Express East Anglia who replaced the previous operator, First Great Eastern, on 1 April 2004, when all the operators in East Anglia were merged into one new franchise.
Infrastructure
The line diverges from the Great Eastern Main Line at Manningtree and is double track as far as Harwich International where connecting ferry services are available to Hoek van Holland and Esbjerg. East of Manningtree station there is a triangular junction so that trains operating to the port can reach the branch from both north and south. The line is electrified at 25 kV AC using overhead wires and has a loading gauge of W10 (excluding W9),[clarification needed] and a line speed of between 40-75 mph.[1]
Services are formed using Class 360, Class 321 and occasionally Class 315
References
Railway lines in the East of England Primary 
Secondary Local Abbey Line · Birmingham to Peterborough Line · Bittern Line · Braintree Branch Line · Breckland Line · Crouch Valley Line · East Suffolk Line · Ely to Peterborough Line · Felixstowe Branch Line · Fen Line · Gainsborough Line · Hertford East Branch Line · Hitchin–Cambridge Line · Ipswich to Ely Line · Marston Vale Line · Mayflower Line · Peterborough to Lincoln Line · Shenfield to Southend Line · Sunshine Coast Line · Wherry Lines
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