Colchester Town railway station
Encyclopedia
Colchester Town railway station serves the town centre of Colchester
in Essex
, England
. It is located on the Colchester to Clacton line and is one of only a small number of drive in/reverse out stations on the British network. It was formerly known as St Botolph's. The station is better situated for access to the town centre than the main station, known locally (but unofficially) as Colchester North. The High Street and main shopping streets are within easy walking distance. The station is manned with a ticket office, and the platform is open (without ticket gates).
The station was opened on 1 March 1866 by the Tendring Hundred Railway, a subsidiary of the Great Eastern Railway
. Originally named St Botolph's, it was renamed Colchester Town on 8 July 1991.
there is only one platform, but there is space for a second which would make possible a more intensive service on the Sunshine Coast line. To the east of the station, Colne Junction is the western extremity of a triangle which gives access towards Colchester
and Hythe
stations. The curve to the north from Colne Junction to East Gates Junction is a sharp one with a continuous check rail, which necessitates slow passage.
The car park adjacent to the station was one of the sites considered for Colchester's new bus station. The town's county court will now be built on the car park site instead.
Colchester Town railway station is closed on Sundays. The station is open on Sundays during December for Christmas shoppers - an hourly service operates to Walton during this period.
If engineering works on a Sunday closes Colchester station, Colchester Town is opened to serve trains to/from Clacton-on-Sea
.
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is located on the Colchester to Clacton line and is one of only a small number of drive in/reverse out stations on the British network. It was formerly known as St Botolph's. The station is better situated for access to the town centre than the main station, known locally (but unofficially) as Colchester North. The High Street and main shopping streets are within easy walking distance. The station is manned with a ticket office, and the platform is open (without ticket gates).
The station was opened on 1 March 1866 by the Tendring Hundred Railway, a subsidiary of the Great Eastern Railway
Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...
. Originally named St Botolph's, it was renamed Colchester Town on 8 July 1991.
there is only one platform, but there is space for a second which would make possible a more intensive service on the Sunshine Coast line. To the east of the station, Colne Junction is the western extremity of a triangle which gives access towards Colchester
Colchester railway station
Colchester or Colchester North is the main railway station for Colchester in Essex, England. It is on the former Great Eastern Railway main line from London Liverpool Street to Norwich and is a junction for the line to Walton-on-the-Naze and Clacton-on-Sea, which diverges southwards from the main...
and Hythe
Hythe (Essex) railway station
Hythe railway station is on the Sunshine Coast Line and serves the eastern areas of Colchester in Essex, England. To the west of the station there is a triangle of lines with three junctions. The two lines lead to Colchester Town and Colchester...
stations. The curve to the north from Colne Junction to East Gates Junction is a sharp one with a continuous check rail, which necessitates slow passage.
The car park adjacent to the station was one of the sites considered for Colchester's new bus station. The town's county court will now be built on the car park site instead.
Train Services
The following services currently call at Colchester:| Operator | Route | Material | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NXEA | London Liverpool Street Liverpool Street station Liverpool Street railway station, also known as London Liverpool Street or simply Liverpool Street, is both a central London railway terminus and a connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, England... - Stratford - Romford Romford railway station Romford station is located in Romford, London Borough of Havering. It is situated between Chadwell Heath and Gidea Park. It is the western terminus of the Upminster branch line from Upminster.... - Shenfield Shenfield railway station Shenfield is a major station located in Shenfield in the borough of Brentwood in Essex, England. It lies on the Great Eastern Main Line and links Liverpool Street station in the City of London to places in the East of England. It was first opened by the Eastern Counties Railway on 29 March 1843 on... - Ingatestone Ingatestone railway station Ingatestone railway station is a railway station serving the village of Ingatestone in Essex, England. The station and all trains serving it are operated by National Express East Anglia.-History:... - Chelmsford Chelmsford railway station Chelmsford railway station is a railway station serving the town of Chelmsford in Essex. The station is located on the Great Eastern Main Line.The station is served by National Express East Anglia... - Witham Witham railway station Witham railway station is a railway station serving the town of Witham in Essex. The station is located on the Great Eastern Main Line and is also the junction of the Witham-Braintree line... - Kelvedon Kelvedon railway station Kelvedon is a railway station serving the villages of Kelvedon and Feering in Essex. The station is located on the Great Eastern Main Line. It is also the closest station to the large settlements of Coggeshall and Tiptree... - Marks Tey Marks Tey railway station Marks Tey is a railway station serving the village of Marks Tey in Essex, England. The station is located on the Great Eastern Main Line and is also a junction for the Sudbury Branch Line.The station is served by National Express East Anglia... - Colchester Colchester railway station Colchester or Colchester North is the main railway station for Colchester in Essex, England. It is on the former Great Eastern Railway main line from London Liverpool Street to Norwich and is a junction for the line to Walton-on-the-Naze and Clacton-on-Sea, which diverges southwards from the main... - Colchester Town Colchester Town railway station Colchester Town railway station serves the town centre of Colchester in Essex, England. It is located on the Colchester to Clacton line and is one of only a small number of drive in/reverse out stations on the British network. It was formerly known as St Botolph's... |
Class 321 British Rail Class 321 The British Rail Class 321 alternating current electric multiple units were built by BREL York in three batches from 1988-91. The design was successful and led to the development of the similar Class 320 and Class 322 units for use by Strathclyde PTE and Stansted Express respectively... , Class 360 British Rail Class 360 The British Rail Class 360 electric multiple units were built by Siemens in two sub-types from 2002-2003 and 2004-2005. These units are part of the Siemens Desiro family.The Siemens "Desiro UK" family also includes units of Classes 185, 350, 380, 444 and 450.... |
1x per hour | Not Sundays |
| NXEA | Colchester Colchester railway station Colchester or Colchester North is the main railway station for Colchester in Essex, England. It is on the former Great Eastern Railway main line from London Liverpool Street to Norwich and is a junction for the line to Walton-on-the-Naze and Clacton-on-Sea, which diverges southwards from the main... - Colchester Town Colchester Town railway station Colchester Town railway station serves the town centre of Colchester in Essex, England. It is located on the Colchester to Clacton line and is one of only a small number of drive in/reverse out stations on the British network. It was formerly known as St Botolph's... - Hythe Hythe (Essex) railway station Hythe railway station is on the Sunshine Coast Line and serves the eastern areas of Colchester in Essex, England. To the west of the station there is a triangle of lines with three junctions. The two lines lead to Colchester Town and Colchester... - Wivenhoe Wivenhoe railway station Wivenhoe railway station is on the Tendring Hundred Railway and serves the small town of Wivenhoe in Essex, England. It is operated by National Express East Anglia. The station has two platforms and a footbridge, and a manned ticket office and waiting room... - Alresford - Great Bentley Great Bentley railway station Great Bentley railway station is a staffed railway station serving Great Bentley in Essex, England. The station is located north east of London Liverpool Street on the Sunshine Coast Line, a branch of the Great Eastern Main Line. The station is located at street level on Station Road in the... - Weeley Weeley railway station Weeley railway station serves the village of Weeley in Essex, England. It is located on the Sunshine Coast Line, a railway operated by National Express East Anglia that links Colchester to Clacton-on-Sea.... - Thorpe-le-Soken Thorpe-le-Soken railway station Thorpe-le-Soken railway station serves the village of Thorpe-le-Soken in Essex, England. The station is 1 mile from the village centre.- History :... - Kirby Cross Kirby Cross railway station Kirby Cross railway station serves the village of Kirby Cross in Essex, England.It was opened on 27 July 1866 as part of the Tendring Hundred line which was to link Colchester with Walton-on-the-Naze.... - Frinton-on-Sea - Walton-on-the-Naze |
Class 321 British Rail Class 321 The British Rail Class 321 alternating current electric multiple units were built by BREL York in three batches from 1988-91. The design was successful and led to the development of the similar Class 320 and Class 322 units for use by Strathclyde PTE and Stansted Express respectively... |
1x per hour | Not Sundays |
| NXEA | Colchester Colchester railway station Colchester or Colchester North is the main railway station for Colchester in Essex, England. It is on the former Great Eastern Railway main line from London Liverpool Street to Norwich and is a junction for the line to Walton-on-the-Naze and Clacton-on-Sea, which diverges southwards from the main... - Colchester Town Colchester Town railway station Colchester Town railway station serves the town centre of Colchester in Essex, England. It is located on the Colchester to Clacton line and is one of only a small number of drive in/reverse out stations on the British network. It was formerly known as St Botolph's... |
Class 321 British Rail Class 321 The British Rail Class 321 alternating current electric multiple units were built by BREL York in three batches from 1988-91. The design was successful and led to the development of the similar Class 320 and Class 322 units for use by Strathclyde PTE and Stansted Express respectively... |
1x per hour | Not Sundays |
Service patterns
The typical Monday-Saturday off peak service is as follows:- 3 trains per hour to ColchesterColchester railway stationColchester or Colchester North is the main railway station for Colchester in Essex, England. It is on the former Great Eastern Railway main line from London Liverpool Street to Norwich and is a junction for the line to Walton-on-the-Naze and Clacton-on-Sea, which diverges southwards from the main...
only. - 1 train per hour to , calling at Hythe (Essex)Hythe (Essex) railway stationHythe railway station is on the Sunshine Coast Line and serves the eastern areas of Colchester in Essex, England. To the west of the station there is a triangle of lines with three junctions. The two lines lead to Colchester Town and Colchester...
, WivenhoeWivenhoeWivenhoe is a town in north eastern Essex, England, approximately south east of Colchester. Historically Wivenhoe village, on the banks of the River Colne, and Wivenhoe Cross, on the higher ground to the north, were two separate settlements but with considerable development in the 19th century the...
, Alresford, Great BentleyGreat Bentley railway stationGreat Bentley railway station is a staffed railway station serving Great Bentley in Essex, England. The station is located north east of London Liverpool Street on the Sunshine Coast Line, a branch of the Great Eastern Main Line. The station is located at street level on Station Road in the...
, WeeleyWeeleyWeeley is a small village in Tendring, East Essex, England. It is served by Weeley railway station on the Sunshine Coast Line, with services operated by National Express East Anglia. It is open Monday - Saturday but closed Sundays. It has bus links to Clacton-on-sea and ColchesterIt was host to the...
, Thorpe-le-SokenThorpe-le-SokenThorpe-le-Soken is a village in Essex, located west of Walton-on-the-Naze, Frinton-on-Sea and north of Clacton-on-Sea.-History:Thorpe-le-Soken's history can be traced back to Saxon times....
, Kirby CrossKirby CrossKirby Cross is a village in Tendring district, Essex, England. It is situated near to Kirby-le-Soken and Frinton-on-Sea. Historically, Kirby Cross was a hamlet within the parish of Kirby-le-Soken, but since 1934 both settlements have been part of Frinton and Walton civil parish.It is the location...
and Frinton-on-SeaFrinton-on-SeaFrinton-on-Sea is a small seaside town in the Tendring District of Essex, England. It is part of the Parish of Frinton and Walton.-History:...
. - 1 train per hour to London Liverpool Street, calling at Colchester, Marks Tey, Kelvedon, Witham, Hatfield Peverel, Chelmsford, Shenfield, Romford and Stratford.
Colchester Town railway station is closed on Sundays. The station is open on Sundays during December for Christmas shoppers - an hourly service operates to Walton during this period.
If engineering works on a Sunday closes Colchester station, Colchester Town is opened to serve trains to/from Clacton-on-Sea
Clacton-on-Sea
Clacton-on-Sea is the largest town on the Tendring peninsula, in Essex, England and was founded in 1871. It is a seaside resort that attracted many tourists in the summer months between the 1950s and 1970s, but which like many other British sea-side resorts went into decline as a holiday...
.