Thurston is linked to neighbouring towns and villages by regular rail and bus services. Bus and train times are shown in Suffolk County Council’s Bury St Edmunds (East) Area timetable leaflet (no.13), obtainable from Bury St Edmunds Bus Station and any Tourist Information Point in the area, and full details of train services are given in the National Express East Anglia Train timetable leaflet available from any staffed station on the line and also Bury St Edmunds Bus Station. This is a summary of the services.

Train Services. Provided by London Eastern Railway trading as National Express East Anglia. Monday to Saturday, hourly services in each direction throughout the day, generally at 29 minutes past the hour to Stowmarket and Ipswich, and 12 minutes to the hour to Bury St Edmunds and Cambridge, with variations in the evenings and early mornings. There are slightly fewer trains on Saturdays. On Sundays and Bank Holidays there is a two-hourly service, but there are alternate two-hourly services to Ipswich and Peterborough from Bury St Edmunds. Approximate journey times from Thurston: to Bury, 6 minutes, Cambridge 42 minutes, Ipswich 33 minutes.

Bus Services. Provided by Galloway European Coachlines Ltd, some journeys are sponsored by Suffolk County Council:

Service 384, Stowmarket to Bury St Edmunds via Beyton

Service 385, Stowmarket to Bury St Edmunds via Norton.

Combined, these give an hourly service in each direction throughout most of the day Monday to Saturday. The route in Thurston is via School Road, Church Road, Norton Road, Heath Road, Genesta Drive and Barton Road with stops at numerous convenient points. Times from the bus stop in School Road are as follows from 31^st August 2010.

Monday to Friday:

To Bury: 0720 0800 0935 1035 1135 1235 1335 1435 1605 1645 1735

To Stowmarket: 0851 0954 1051 1151 1251 1354 1451 1706 1806 1841

Saturday:

To Bury: 0800 0935 1035 1135 1235 1350 1520 1650

To Stowmarket: 0850 0954 1051 1151 1251 1409 1521 1636 1806

All services except the 0800 serves the stops outside West Suffolk Hospital.

There is no Sunday or Bank Holiday bus service. Journey times are approximately 28 minutes to Bury bus station and 45 minutes to Stowmarket.

Day out in Diss!

Monday to Saturday Simmonds bus service 304 to Diss leaves Bury 08:22; stops outside Thurston Community College at 08:55; arrives at Diss 09:42.
Return from Diss at 15:05 arriving back in Thurston (opp.community college)at 16:05 and Bury at 16:35.

(Market day in Diss is Friday)

Useful phone numbers.

Trains: National Express Customer Services 08712 222299

Disabled Persons Helpline 0800 028 2878

National Timetable Enquiries 08457 48 49 50

Real Time Running Information 020 7247 5488

Buses: Suffolk County Council: 0845 6 066 067

Traveline: 0871 200 22 33

Galloways 01449 766323

Simonds 01379 647300