Early proposals and the Bury St Edmunds and Thetford Railway Plans for a railway line between Thetford and Bury St Edmunds had existed since at least 1844, when proposals were made for the
London and Norwich Direct Railway. These proposals aimed to connect London to
Great Yarmouth via a line between Bury St Edmunds and Thetford. A bill was brought to parliament in 1845 but was ultimately not authorised. A further two bills including provisions for a line between Thetford and Bury St Edmunds were made in 1846 by different parties, but these were also unsuccessful. By 1865, the
Bury St Edmunds and Thetford Railway (BSE&TR) had come up with plans for a line, and proposed these in a bill to Parliament. It was initially opposed by the
Great Eastern Railway (GER) on the grounds that there was a lack of necessity for the line. The bill passed as the '''''' (
28 & 29 Vict. c. cccxlviii), and gave the five years to complete the route. The company ran into problems including financial difficulties and legal disputes with landowners, and proposed an amendment bill to parliament in 1870. It included deviations to the line, and a three-year extension to the deadline for the original route, and passed as the '''''' (
33 & 34 Vict. c. cxlvi). The line was inspected and approved on 30 December 1875, after the implementation of some recommendations. Signalling and rolling stock issues delayed the start of services, with the line opening on 1 March 1876.
Great Eastern Railway operation Initial services on the line relied on the for rolling stock, and the operation of the termini stations at and . Income from the line was lower than expected, and the sold the line to the GER in 1878.
Closure It closed to passengers on 8 June 1953 and goods traffic on 27 June 1960. ==Services==