Colchester Town railway station

Colchester Town
Location
Place	Colchester
Local authority	Borough of Colchester
Coordinates	51°53′11″N 0°54′17″E / 51.8865°N 0.9046°ECoordinates: 51°53′11″N 0°54′17″E / 51.8865°N 0.9046°E
Grid reference	TM000248
Operations
Station code	CET
Managed by	Abellio Greater Anglia
Number of platforms	1
DfT category	E
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2010/11	0.381 million
2011/12	0.464 million
2012/13	0.743 million
2013/14	0.762 million
2014/15	0.772 million
– Interchange	533
History
Original company	Tendring Hundred Railway
Pre-grouping	Great Eastern Railway
Post-grouping	London and North Eastern Railway
1 March 1866	Opened as St. Botolph's
8 July 1991	Renamed Colchester Town
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Colchester Town from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Colchester Town railway station is on the Sunshine Coast Line in the East of England, and is the secondary station serving the town of Colchester, Essex. It is 53 miles 76 chains (86.8 km) down-line from London Liverpool Street.^[1] Its three-letter station code is CET. The town's larger station is called Colchester (also known as Colchester North to distinguish it) and is on the Great Eastern Main Line but is further away from the town centre.

The station was opened in 1866 by the Tendring Hundred Railway, a subsidiary of the Great Eastern Railway, with the name St. Botolph's. It was renamed Colchester Town in 1991.^[2] It is currently operated by Abellio Greater Anglia, which also runs all trains serving the station.

As of 2013 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 station to the west and Hythe station to the east. The curve to the north from Colne Junction to East Gates Junction is sharp, with a continuous check rail which necessitates slow passage.

Services

The following services typically call at Colchester Town during the off-peak:

• 2 trains per hour (tph) to Colchester only;
• 1 tph to London Liverpool Street, calling at all stations to Witham then Chelmsford, Shenfield, Romford and Stratford;
• 1 tph to Walton-on-the-Naze, calling at all intermediate stations.

Colchester Town is closed on Sundays, except during December when an hourly service operates to Walton-on-the-Naze. If engineering work on a Sunday closes Colchester station, Colchester Town is opened as an alternative.

Operator	Route	Rolling stock	Frequency	Notes
Abellio Greater Anglia	London Liverpool Street - Stratford - Romford - Shenfield - Chelmsford - Witham - Kelvedon - Marks Tey - Colchester - Colchester Town	Class 321, Class 360	1x per hour each direction	Not Sundays
Abellio Greater Anglia	Colchester - Colchester Town - Hythe - Wivenhoe - Alresford - Great Bentley - Weeley - Thorpe-le-Soken - Kirby Cross - Frinton-on-Sea - Walton-on-the-Naze	Class 321, Class 360	1x per hour each direction	Not Sundays
Abellio Greater Anglia	Colchester - Colchester Town	Class 321, Class 360	1x per hour each direction	Not Sundays

References

1. http://www.s-r-s.org.uk/railref/ref-ge.html
2. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. pp. 202, 65. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.

External links

• Train times and station information for Colchester Town railway station from National Rail