South Woodham Ferrers - Transport

Transport

South Woodham Ferrers has good road transport links: The A132 lies to the north of the town, which leads to the A130 (a road linking Chelmsford to Canvey Island) and then into Wickford and to the A127 and A13 in Basildon. The B1012 road connects SWF with the Dengie peninsula, including the towns of Burnham and Maldon. The town is also served by South Woodham Ferrers railway station, (formally Woodham Ferrers station until May 2007) a station on the single track Crouch Valley Line which runs hourly trains between Wickford and Southminster. During rush hour however, trains continue on from Wickford to London Liverpool Street. The relative infrequency of the train service is due to the track being a single line over most of its distance to Wickford, meaning trains cannot pass each other, except for a two line passing point at Fambridge station. Notably, the branch line was more substantial in the past, operating a double line, but this was removed during the 'Beeching Axe' of British railways in the 1960s. It is thought however, that the line has also survived in part, remaining open in its current form due to its servicing of nearby but no longer operational Bradwell Power Station. A weekly train load of used or "spent" nuclear fuel replaced one of the timetabled passenger train services for many years. The material was taken by road from Bradwell to Southminster, and then by train for reprocessing, usually at Sellafield in Cumbria.

There are a number of bus routes connecting South Woodham Ferrers with towns in the surrounding area:

• Basildon via Wickford and Ramsden Bellhouse - Bus 237
• Chelmsford via Danbury, Bicknacre and Great Baddow - Bus 36 (run by First Essex, part of the First Group)
• South Woodham Ferrers Circular - Bus 37 (run by the bus company NIBS)

There are also other buses which serve a number of the villages in the Dengie Peninsula.

Due to the way the town is laid out, it is very easy to walk or cycle from one side of the town to the other, and there is also a Golden Jubilee Walk, which was created in honour of Queen Elizabeth II for her Golden Anniversary in 2002. A coastal path walk, providing an attractive view of the Crouch Valley/Estuary can be picked up from the Compass Gardens area, and either heads towards the nearby village of Fambridge in one direction, or Battlesbridge in the other.