Reedham swing bridge cannot open for larger boats until mid-September, and Norwich to Lowestoft trains become buses on 29 and 30 August. The dates in full.

Reedham swing bridge will not open for larger boats again this summer. The last scheduled swing was on 4 August, and Network Rail does not expect the bridge back in full working order until mid-September.

The railway over it also closes for a weekend. Norwich to Lowestoft trains are replaced by buses on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 August, while a new bearing is lifted into place.

The bridge carries the Norwich to Lowestoft line over the River Yare and swings open for tall vessels. Network Rail says its centre bearing has failed. The bearing sits at the main pivot and helps support the structure as it opens and closes.

What went wrong

The Broads Authority first told boat owners the bridge was stuck on 26 June. Network Rail had reported a mechanical failure that meant it could not regularly and reliably open the bridge, and investigations had traced it to the centre bearing.

Engineers then tested whether the bridge could be swung by hand on a limited basis without doing further damage. Those tests produced three opening slots, on 31 July and 4 August, and nothing after that.

Network Rail calls the crossing a 123-year-old bridge and describes the work as a major, complex repair.

The repair timetable

Network Rail and the Broads Authority published the programme on 28 July:

  • until Friday 7 August: preparatory works, including a temporary support frame to take weight off the bearing
  • Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 August: removal of the old bearing
  • Monday 10 August to Friday 28 August: full assessment of the mechanism and final preparation of new components
  • Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 August: installation of the new bearing
  • Monday 31 August to mid-September: dismantling the support frame, testing and commissioning
Timeline of the Reedham swing bridge bearing replacement, from preparatory works in early August to testing in mid-September 2026
The repair programme published by Network Rail and the Broads Authority on 28 July. Graphic by Broads News.

Separately, the Broads Authority gave notice that a survey pontoon would sit under the bridge between 4 and 14 August. Navigation stayed open through that work, with a safety workboat on site.

The weekend the trains stop

The railway is not affected by the fault itself. It has to close so the bearing can be installed.

We checked the timetable for that weekend on 18 August. On Saturday 29 August, Norwich to Lowestoft shows as a replacement bus, leaving Norwich hourly at 55 minutes past and taking 55 minutes. The same journey by train the Saturday before takes 42 minutes. On Sunday 30 August the buses run hourly on the hour and take 54 minutes.

Network Rail says the replacement bus is direct and also calls at Oulton Broad North.

Reedham itself keeps a train service that weekend. The Norwich to Great Yarmouth line via Reedham is unaffected, and on 29 August trains still leave Norwich for Reedham at 10:55 and 11:54, taking 19 minutes. Network Rail says extra Norwich to Great Yarmouth services will run that weekend calling at Brundall, Buckenham, Cantley and Reedham.

Boats: what can still get through

Most Broads craft never needed the bridge to swing. Rob Rogers, the Broads Authority’s director of delivery, said the Authority was “acutely aware that there are still some who depend on it being able to swing open”. He thanked owners of large boats for their patience.

Two things are worth knowing if you are planning a passage in the next few weeks:

  • there are no swings at Reedham until the repair is finished, so a mast that will not clear the fixed span cannot pass
  • Trowse swing bridge, on the way into Norwich, is also playing up. Network Rail requires seven days’ notice to open it, at 9.05am on Sundays or between 2am and 4am any day

Even when Reedham is working again, heat can stop it. The Authority notes that hot weather restrictions apply as normal, because the main structures and rails expand.

Joe Kennedy, infrastructure director for Network Rail Anglia, apologised to boat users, passengers and neighbours. He called the bridge “both a critical piece of infrastructure and an important heritage landmark for the region”.

What it means for you

  • Travelling to Lowestoft on 29 or 30 August: allow an extra 15 minutes or so each way and expect a bus from Norwich, not a train. Check before you travel.
  • Going to Great Yarmouth that weekend: trains run as normal, and Brundall, Buckenham, Cantley and Reedham keep a service.
  • Boating: do not plan a passage through Reedham that needs the bridge to swing before mid-September. Broads Control is on 01603 756056, and the Reedham bridge operator is on 0330 858 4655 or VHF channel 12.
  • Complaints about the repair go to Network Rail, which is running the work.

More on getting around the district is on our Broadland roadworks and travel page, and on Broadland train times to London, which explains why every journey south involves a change at Norwich.

Sources