Chelmsford railway station
Encyclopedia
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. Services are operated between London Liverpool Street
and Ipswich
, Clacton-on-Sea
, Walton-on-the-Naze
, Harwich
, Braintree
, Norwich
.
The railway at this point is elevated on a viaduct
, so the platforms are above street level. It is the busiest station that is completely non-terminus outside of London in the UK.
arrived in 1842, but due to the geography of the town, an 18-arch viaduct had to be built across what is now the town park. The station was built on a viaduct in its current location, with a 3-storey frontage. The present station building dates from a rebuild in 1985.
On Sundays this becomes:
Chelmsford
Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford. It is located in the London commuter belt, approximately northeast of Charing Cross, London, and approximately the same distance from the once provincial Roman capital at Colchester...
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...
. The station is located on the Great Eastern Main Line
Great Eastern Main Line
The Great Eastern Main Line is a 212 Kilometre major railway line of the British railway system, which connects Liverpool Street in the City of London with destinations in east London and the East of England, including Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich, Norwich and several coastal resorts such as...
.
The station is served by National Express East Anglia. Services are operated between 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...
and Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
, 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...
, Walton-on-the-Naze
Walton-on-the-Naze
Walton-on-the-Naze is a small town in Essex, England, on the North Sea coast in the Tendring district. It is north of Clacton and south of the port of Harwich. It abuts Frinton-on-Sea to the south, and is part of the parish of Frinton and Walton. It is a resort town, with a permanent population of...
, Harwich
Harwich
Harwich is a town in Essex, England and one of the Haven ports, located on the coast with the North Sea to the east. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the northeast, Ipswich to the northwest, Colchester to the southwest and Clacton-on-Sea to the south...
, Braintree
Braintree, Essex
Braintree is a town of about 42,000 people and the principal settlement of the Braintree district of Essex in the East of England. It is northeast of Chelmsford and west of Colchester on the River Blackwater, A120 road and a branch of the Great Eastern Main Line.Braintree has grown contiguous...
, Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
.
The railway at this point is elevated on a viaduct
Viaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
, so the platforms are above street level. It is the busiest station that is completely non-terminus outside of London in the UK.
History
The Eastern Counties RailwayEastern Counties Railway
The Eastern Counties Railway was an early English railway company incorporated in 1836. It was intended to link London with Ipswich via Colchester, and then on to Norwich and Yarmouth. Construction began in late March 1837 on the first nine miles, at the London end of the line.Construction was...
arrived in 1842, but due to the geography of the town, an 18-arch viaduct had to be built across what is now the town park. The station was built on a viaduct in its current location, with a 3-storey frontage. The present station building dates from a rebuild in 1985.
Train Services
The following services currently call at Chelmsford:| 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 - 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... - 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... - Manningtree Manningtree railway station Manningtree is a railway station which serves the town of Manningtree in Essex, England. Services are provided by National Express East Anglia. The station is on the Great Eastern Main Line between London and Norwich and is the only station on the main line between Colchester and Ipswich.... - Ipswich Ipswich railway station Ipswich railway station is a railway station serving the town of Ipswich in Suffolk, England. The station is located on the Great Eastern Main Line 68¾ miles east of London Liverpool Street towards Norwich... - Stowmarket Stowmarket railway station Stowmarket is a railway station serving the town of Stowmarket in Suffolk, England. The station is on the Great Eastern Main Line from London Liverpool Street to Norwich. It is also the junction of the line to Bury St Edmunds... - Diss Diss railway station Diss is a railway station which serves the town of Diss in Norfolk, England. The station is on the Great Eastern Main Line south of Norwich towards London Liverpool Street. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by National Express East Anglia... - Norwich Norwich railway station Norwich is a railway station serving the city of Norwich in the English county of Norfolk. The station is the northern terminus of the Great Eastern Main Line from London Liverpool Street. It is also the terminus of railway lines from Ely, Sheringham, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.-History:At one... |
Class 90 British Rail Class 90 The British Rail Class 90 electric locomotives were built by BREL at Crewe from 1987-1990. Each locomotive weighs 84.5 tonnes and has a top speed of . They operate from 25 kV AC overhead wires and produce... + Mark 3 Coaching Stock British Rail Mark 3 British Rail's third design of standard carriage was designated 'Mark 3' , and was developed primarily for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train... |
1x per hour | |
| 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 - 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... - 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... - Hatfield Peverel Hatfield Peverel railway station Hatfield Peverel serves the villages of Hatfield Peverel and Nounsley in Essex, England. This station and all trains serving it are operated by National Express East Anglia.-Train Services:The following services currently call at Hatfield Peverel:... - 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... - Manningtree Manningtree railway station Manningtree is a railway station which serves the town of Manningtree in Essex, England. Services are provided by National Express East Anglia. The station is on the Great Eastern Main Line between London and Norwich and is the only station on the main line between Colchester and Ipswich.... - Ipswich Ipswich railway station Ipswich railway station is a railway station serving the town of Ipswich in Suffolk, England. The station is located on the Great Eastern Main Line 68¾ miles east of London Liverpool Street towards Norwich... |
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 | |
| 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 | 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 - 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... - 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... - 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... - 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... - 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 :... - Clacton-on-Sea |
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 | Also calls at Marks Tey, Alresford and Great Bentley on Sundays |
| 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 - 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... - White Notley White Notley railway station White Notley railway station serves the village of White Notley, in Essex, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by National Express East Anglia. It is situated on the Braintree Branch Line.-Service Patterns:... - Cressing Cressing railway station Cressing railway station serves the villages of Cressing and Black Notley in Essex, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by National Express East Anglia. It is situated on the Braintree Branch Line.-Service Patterns:... - Braintree Freeport Braintree Freeport railway station Braintree Freeport railway station serves the large Freeport out-of-town outlet shopping centre on the southern outskirts of Braintree, Essex. The unstaffed single platform station is located on the Witham/Braintree Branch Line north east of London Liverpool Street railway station and has a... - Braintree Braintree railway station Braintree railway station is owned by Network Rail and managed by train operating company National Express East Anglia. Most trains run direct to London Liverpool Street, joining the Great Eastern Main Line at Witham... |
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 consists of:- 5 trains per hour (tph) to London Liverpool StreetLiverpool Street stationLiverpool 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...
, of which:- 1 calls only at StratfordStratford stationStratford station is a large multilevel railway station in Stratford, east London. The station is served by the National Rail services National Express East Anglia, London Overground and c2c, by London Underground's Central and Jubilee lines, and by the Docklands Light Railway . Stratford is in...
(to set down) - 2 call at Shenfield and Stratford (to set down)
- 1 calls at Ingatestone, Shenfield, Romford and Stratford (to set down)
- 1 calls at IngatestoneIngatestone railway stationIngatestone 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:...
, Shenfield and Stratford
- 1 calls only at Stratford
- 1 tph to BraintreeBraintree railway stationBraintree railway station is owned by Network Rail and managed by train operating company National Express East Anglia. Most trains run direct to London Liverpool Street, joining the Great Eastern Main Line at Witham...
, calling at WithamWitham railway stationWitham 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...
, White NotleyWhite Notley railway stationWhite Notley railway station serves the village of White Notley, in Essex, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by National Express East Anglia. It is situated on the Braintree Branch Line.-Service Patterns:...
, CressingCressing railway stationCressing railway station serves the villages of Cressing and Black Notley in Essex, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by National Express East Anglia. It is situated on the Braintree Branch Line.-Service Patterns:...
and Braintree FreeportBraintree Freeport railway stationBraintree Freeport railway station serves the large Freeport out-of-town outlet shopping centre on the southern outskirts of Braintree, Essex. The unstaffed single platform station is located on the Witham/Braintree Branch Line north east of London Liverpool Street railway station and has a... - 1 tph to Clacton-on-Sea, calling at Witham, Colchester (North)Colchester 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...
, WivenhoeWivenhoe railway stationWivenhoe 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...
and Thorpe-le-SokenThorpe-le-Soken railway stationThorpe-le-Soken railway station serves the village of Thorpe-le-Soken in Essex, England. The station is 1 mile from the village centre.- History :...
. Change at Thorpe-le-Soken for Kirby Cross, Frinton & Walton-on-the-Naze. - Passengers requiring stations HytheHythe (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...
, 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...
and 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...
must change at Colchester North. - 1 tph to Colchester TownColchester Town railway stationColchester 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...
, calling at Witham, Kelvedon, Marks Tey and Colchester. - 1 tph to NorwichNorwich railway stationNorwich is a railway station serving the city of Norwich in the English county of Norfolk. The station is the northern terminus of the Great Eastern Main Line from London Liverpool Street. It is also the terminus of railway lines from Ely, Sheringham, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.-History:At one...
, calling at Colchester, Manningtree, Ipswich, Stowmarket and Diss. - 1 train every hour to IpswichIpswich railway stationIpswich railway station is a railway station serving the town of Ipswich in Suffolk, England. The station is located on the Great Eastern Main Line 68¾ miles east of London Liverpool Street towards Norwich...
, calling at Hatfield Peverel, Witham, Kelvedon, Marks Tey, Colchester (North) and Manningtree.
On Sundays this becomes:
- 2 tph to London Liverpool Street, of which:
- 1 calls only at Shenfield and Stratford (to set down)
- 1 calls at IngatestoneIngatestone railway stationIngatestone 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:...
, Shenfield and Stratford (to set down)
- 1 tph to Clacton-on-SeaClacton-on-SeaClacton-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...
, calling at Witham, Marks Tey, 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...
, 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...
, AlresfordAlresford railway stationAlresford railway station may refer to:*Alresford railway station, Alresford, Essex, England, United Kingdom*Alresford railway station, Alresford, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom - a preserved railway station on the Mid-Hants Railway...
, 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...
and 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....
. - 1 tph to Ipswich, calling at Hatfield Peverel, Witham, Kelvedon, Marks Tey, Colchester (North) and Manningtree