Colchester railway station - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Colchester or Colchester North is the main railway station for Colchester

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 on the former 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...

main line from London Liverpool Street to 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...

and is a junction for the line to 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...

and 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...

, which diverges southwards from the main line to the east of the station. The junction is grade-separated so trains passing to and from the Clacton line do not cross the main line. Train services are provided by National Express East Anglia.

Colchester

Colchester

is a junction station for the important Sunshine Coast Line to Clacton-on-Sea

Clacton-on-Sea

and Walton-on-the-Naze

Walton-on-the-Naze

.

The station was opened on 29 March 1843 by the Eastern Counties Railway

Eastern 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...

, and was always named simply Colchester. Locally, the station is known as Colchester North, to distinguish it from 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...

. Buses use this unofficial name. The station is not conveniently sited for the town, but buses connect to the town centre. Colchester Town

Colchester Town railway station

is closer to the town centre.

The station has two main platforms. The up (London bound) comprises two platforms, numbers 3 and 4, which have an unusual layout: 3 is on the up main line and is served by Norwich expresses, while 4 is on the up Sunshine Coast line, which merges with the up main where the two platforms join end-to-end. The junction is protected by a trap leading to friction buffer stops. This combined platform is the longest in the UK at 620 m (2034 ft). There are also bay platforms at both ends of the up main platform. The London-end bay (Platform 6) is used for a small number of trains to London, or those that terminate at Colchester from London: these are normally morning or evening peak services. Previously this platform was used for services to/from Sudbury. However, these were shortened to terminate at Marks Tey in the mid-90s. The other bay platform (Platform 5) is used for services to Colchester Town and the all-station service to Walton-on-the-Naze. The down side platform is an island with two faces, one on the down main, and one on the down Sunshine Coast line. Platform 1 is mainly used for trains to Clacton-on-Sea

Clacton-on-Sea

but occasionally used for trains to Norwich

Norwich

.

The main ticket office is a modern glass fronted design, sited on the north side of the station, and access to the platforms is by a subway. The original station building is on the south side, and provides access to the up platform for those with tickets or wanting to buy tickets from a machine. Both entrances to the station are protected by automatic ticket gates.

Former train operating company Anglia Railways

Anglia Railways

Anglia Railways was a British train operating company, owned by GB Railways, which between 5 January 1997 and 31 March 2004 operated mainline trains out of London Liverpool Street station and a number of local rail services in East Anglia....

ran services known as London Crosslink

London Crosslink

London Crosslink was a train service operated by Anglia Railways, which ran between Norwich and Basingstoke, using the North London Line to by-pass central London. Class 170 "Turbostar" diesel multiple units were used. The service ran from 30 May 2000 to 11 September 2002...

from Norwich

Norwich

to Basingstoke

Basingstoke

Basingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, in south central England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2008 it had an estimated population of...

via Stratford. This service started in 2000 and ended in 2002.

Platforms

The station has six platforms.

Platform 1: Services to 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...

and through services to Colchester Town
Platform 2: Services to 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...

and 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...
Platform 3: Services to London Liverpool Street (InterCity and semi-fast services)
Platform 4: Services to London Liverpool Street (semi-fast services)
Platform 5: Services to Colchester Town and 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...
Platform 6: Services to London Liverpool Street (starting at Colchester)

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... - 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... - 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	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 - 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 - 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 - 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	Does not operate between Colchester and Thorpe-le-Soken on Sundays, use Clacton train
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

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.