Two more places with two stations: Oulton Broad and Thorne

Thursday 26th February 2026

Not many two-station-places left to go now but this month I’m featuring two very different places which both enjoy a North and South station with all four having very limited facilities. Let’s start in East Anglia.

Outon Broad lies on the western fringe of Lowestoft making it Britain’s easternmost location as a place with two stations on two different lines.

But they’re only just on two different lines.

Outon Broad North is the penultimate station on the Norwich to Lowestoft line, known as the Wherry Lines while Outon Broad South, which lies 1,000 yards south (funny that) is on the Ipswich to Lowestoft line known as the East Suffolk Line.

As you can see in the above map. the tracks join just beyond the eastern end of Oulton Broad North’s platforms – had it been just beyond the western end I’d have disqualified the pair from being featured in this prolonged series for being on the same line.

Both stations are unstaffed with former station buildings still in situ and for many years have been put to other uses with Oulton Broad North (photographed above) the more substantial of the two with its two platforms and “Exclusive Indian Cuisine” on offer in Labone Indian Cuisine in the old station ticket office…

…whereas Oulton Broad South has just one platform with the tracks having been reduced from double to single in 1985…

…with the main station building on the platform still in use now being a private residence.

Both stations have an hourly eastbound service to Lowestoft with Norwich (Oulton Broad North) and Ipswich (Oulton Broad South) served westbound giving the community of Oulton Broad a good choice of destinations. Indeed, during the off peak period alternate journeys from Oulton Broad North run non-stop to Norwich giving a quicker journey time of around half an hour instead of 40 minutes for the stopping journeys.

Not surprisingly Oulton Broad North is the busier of the two stations seeing 137,000 passenger entries and exits in 2024/25 while Oulton Broad South saw less than half that number clocking up 60,488.

Oulton Broad North is the oldest of the two too, opening in July 1847 and originally called Mutford while Oulton Broad South opened as Carlton Colville 12 years later in June 1859. Both stations took on their current names in September 1927.

Greater Anglia runs both stations and although facilities are extremely limited they’re both well kept, with some nice plants at Oulton Broad North (above) and large bushes on the platform at Oulton Broad South (below).

Oulton Broad North has a shelter on the Norwich bound platform…

… while Oulton Broad South has seats under cover of the former station building as shown in an earlier photo as well as two traditional Network South East style seats on the open platform.

There’s an enclosed cycle rack at Oulton Broad North…

… and an exposed one at Oulton Broad South…

… neither being particularly well used by the look of it.

Both stations have a ticket machine with North having one on both platforms…

… and South having one at the entrance to the platform.

South also has some promotional displays about the very close by Oulton Broad…

,..with North displaying information “encouraging Days out from the Wherry Lines”.

The nautical theme continues on the Lowestoft platform where there’s a boat acting as a flower bed.

Walking between the two stations you get a good look at Oulton Broad itself…

… including the extensive lock and movable bridge carrying the road over the ‘canal’ like water passage…

…and I noticed information on display about the nearby railway stations which was good to see, although no mention of the East Suffolk line – only the Wherry Lines and the Bittern Line to Sherringham.

Finally, Oulton Broad North sits alongside a level crossing…

… and it’s two platforms obviously were once capable of taking much longer trains…

with a third of the length now decommissioned.

This month’s second place-with-a-pair takes us to South Yorkshire.

Thorne lies 15 miles to the north east of Doncaster making it South Yorkshire’s only place with two stations on different lines.

But they’re only just on two different lines.

Thorne North is the third station on the Doncaster to Goole and Hull line while Thorne South, which lies 1.3 miles south (funny that), is the third station on the Doncaster to Scunthorpe (and Cleethorpes) line.

As you can see in the above map the tracks split just to the west of both stations – had that junction been one and a half miles further east I’d have disqualified the pair from being featured in this prolonged series for being on the same line. Indeed there wouldn’t have been a need for two stations.

Both stations are overseen by Northern and before Covid both enjoyed an hourly service westwards to Doncaster with Thorne South (photographed above) having an easterly hourly frequency to Scunthorpe and Thorne North (photographed below) an hourly frequency to Goole and Hull. However Thorne South’s frequency was cut to two-hourly during Covid and the hourly timetable has never been reinstated.

Not surprisingly therefore Thorne South (below) only saw 66,512 passenger entries and exits in 2024/25, around a third of Thorne North’s 179,000.

There’s not much to comment on concerning Thorne South’s facilities as there aren’t any, save for a ticket machine, an electronic departure sign and a minimalist shelter on each platform with no other seats.

There is a footbridge to access the Doncaster bound platform 2 and extensive ramps to make the station fully accessible.

The station is located 150 yards up a track off South Road…

… and opened in 1866 three years ahead of its rival up the road which has a few more facilities to offer including a ticket office…

…and waiting room…

…in what must have at one time been the Station Master’s house. The left hand side of the house…

… and the upper floor are used as a residence called ‘Station House’.

It also has some seats on each platform as well as the usual basic shelter.

There’s a very traditional looking footbridge at the western end of the platforms although each platform also has direct access to the A614 main road over which the tracks pass.

However only the Doncaster bound platform 1 is accessible with a ramp.

Hull bound passengers from platform 2 are faced with steps either via the footbridge or the direct access from the road below.

If the car park on a Wednesday late morning is anything to go by, Thorne isn’t a hotbed of commuting.

Two more station pair places will feature next month and if you missed any of the previous 35 pairs check out the back blogs here.

1: Hertford; 2: Canterbury. 3: Wigan, 4 Dorchester, 5 Windsor, 6 Wakefield, 7 Reddish, 8 Yeovil, 9 Newark-on-Trent, 10 New Mills, 11 Tyndrum, 12 St Albans, 13 Falkirk, 14 Catford, 15 Helensburgh, 16 Gainsborough, 17 Edenbridge, 18 Bicester, 19 Worcester, 20 and 21 Epsom and Ewell, 22 Wrexham, 23 Runcorn, 24 Farnborough, 25 Bradford, 26 Enfield, 27 Dalston, 28 Kentish Town, 29 West Hampstead, 30 Battersea, 31 Penge, 32 Bromley, 33 Coulsdon, 34 Carshalton, 35 Harringay.

Roger French

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