How to take the rail journey from London to Norwich

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London to Norwich by train

The £millions invested on this route have transformed this journey, with brand new trains providing the fastest ever service, with hundreds of additional seats available in every hour.

Routes you can take to go from London to Norwich

When travelling between most cities by train there is only one logical option, though on other journeys there is a choice between different trains or alternative routes. If different options are available you can use the info to decide which is best for you.

Choose one of the following options:

Looking for connections?

Journey guides for travel to London

Route Information

Station Guides

Looking across the end of the station that the Stansted Express and trains to Cambridge depart from

London Liverpool Street Rail Station Guide

The guide to using the main station in Norwich

Norwich Rail Station Guide

Travel Time (approx)

1hr 45min - 1hr55min

Frequency

Daily

Travel Info

Monday to Saturday = 2 x trains per hour
Sunday = 1 x train per hour

Is the journey direct? = Yes

Is the journey scenic? = not particularly

When is the usual approximate earliest arrival at the destination? = after 07:45 on Monday to Friday; after 08:15 on Saturday; after 10:15 on Sunday

When is the usual approximate latest departure? = around 23:30 daily

Are tickets cheaper if booked in advance? = Yes

How soon ahead of travel are tickets typically placed on sale? = 12 weeks; see the Ticket Information

What are the child ticket terms? = aged 5 to 15 = 50%; aged 4 and under = free

Does the ticket include assigned seats? = Varies: Yes with Advance Tickets, see the Ticket Information

Do rail pass users need to book reservations? = No

Is catering available on the train? = Yes, A bar is available on some departures; A trolley service can be available

What else is good to know?

See the general guide to travelling in Britain by train.

Travel Information

All trains also call at: Colchester; Manningtree (connect for Harwich Town); Ipswich (connect for Felixstowe, Saxmundham, Beccles and Lowestoft) and Diss

On Monday to Saturday the trains which leave London at 00 or 02 past the hour are 10 mins faster, because the trains which typically depart at 30mins passed the hour make additional calls at Stratford, Chelmsford and Stowmarket.
On Sundays all of the trains also call at these three stations.

On Monday to Friday the train which is typically scheduled to depart at 17:00 has a journey time of 1hr 40min, as it is non-stop from London to Ipswich.

This is a direct journey

You will be travelling on one of these trains...

Greater Anglia Intercity (UK) Train Guide

Good to Know

Connections:

At Stratford - This station is on the Jubilee Line of the London Underground and when the Elizabeth Line serves Stratford making the interchange there will be easier than at Liverpool Street.

At Manningtree - On Mondays to Saturdays it is the faster trains which depart Liverpool Street at 00 or 02 past the hour which offer a 5 min connection into the trains on towards Harwich Town.
On Sundays, the hourly trains from London also offer a quick transfer into the local services.

At Ipswich - On Mondays to Saturdays it is the faster trains which depart Liverpool Street at 00 or 02 past the hour which offer a 10 min connection into the trains taking the East Suffolk Line to Lowestoft via Saxmundham and Beccles; but it is the departures at 30 min passed the hour which offer the 10 min connection on to Felixstowe.
On Sundays the hourly train typically has a transfer time of around 20 mins into a train to Felixstowe, but the connection into the train heading for Lowestoft will be around 35 minutes

At Norwich - On Mondays to Saturdays it is the trains which usually depart Liverpool Street at 30mins passed the hour which offer a 14 min connection into the trains heading to Great Yarmouth and a 23 min connection into the trains heading to Sherringham via Cromer.
On Sundays the hourly train typically has a transfer time of around 24 mins into trains heading to Great Yarmouth and a 33 min connection into the trains heading to Sherringham.

Travelling across the relatively flat farmland of Norfolk

North of Manningtree station the railway crosses the River Stour

Typical of the views over rural Essex between the edge of London and Colchester

Riding the beautiful train journey between Lancaster and Glasgow

The general guide to rail travel in Britain Discover what's good to know about riding the trains, taking popular journeys, using the major stations, booking tickets and travelling with rail passes.

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This is one of more than 100 train travel guides available on ShowMeTheJourney, which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.

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