The station was opened by the Norfolk Railway on 20 March 1849 and was originally named Fakenham. Following nationalisation, it was renamed Fakenham East by British Railways on 27 September 1948; it was closed on 5 October 1964.[1]
This station is one of the possible sites protected in local plans, if needed as part of the Norfolk Orbital Railway's long-term plans to return trains to Fakenham. Any replacement station would be built on the throat of the original site, as sheltered housing has been built on the main station site. Other developments north of the former station make further extension impractical; instead the 'Norfolk Orbital' scheme proposes reopening towards the North Norfolk line at Holt and the Mid-Norfolk line at County School. The railway formation south of the station, as far as the three-arch viaduct over the River Wensum, is now owned by the Norfolk Orbital Railway.[2][3]
On 27 May 1931, a head-on collision took place at the station. Ex-GER T262-4-0 No. 7486 was hauling a passenger train when it overran a signal and collided with another passenger train, hauled by fellow Ex-GER T262-4-0 No. 7457. In total, one person was killed and 15 others were injured.[4]
