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Colchester Town railway station (formerly St Botolph's) is on the Sunshine Coast Line in the East of England, and is the secondary station serving the city of Colchester, Essex. It is 53 miles 76 chains (86.8 km) from London Liverpool Street.[1][2] Its three-letter station code is CET. The city's larger station is called Colchester (also known as Colchester North station to distinguish it) and is on the Great Eastern Main Line but is further away from the city centre.
Colchester Town  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Colchester, City of Colchester England | ||||
| Coordinates | 51°53′11″N 0°54′16″E / 51.8865°N 0.9044°E | ||||
| Grid reference | TM000248 | ||||
| Managed by | Greater Anglia | ||||
| Platforms | 1 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | CET | ||||
| Classification | DfT category E | ||||
| History | |||||
| Original company | Tendring Hundred Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | Great Eastern Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping | London and North Eastern Railway | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 1 March 1866 | Opened as St. Botolph's | ||||
| 8 July 1991 | Renamed Colchester Town | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2018/19 |  0.771 million | ||||
| Interchange | 344 | ||||
| 2019/20 |  0.736 million | ||||
| 2020/21 | 0.178 million | ||||
| 2021/22 | 0.504 million | ||||
| 2022/23 | 0.587 million | ||||
| |||||
The station was opened in 1866 by the Tendring Hundred Railway, a subsidiary of the Great Eastern Railway, as St. Botolph's, after the nearby priory and church that gave their name to this part of the city. It was renamed Colchester Town in 1991.[3] It is currently operated by Greater Anglia, which also runs all trains serving the station.
As of 2024[update] there is only one platform. Since a magistrates' court was built the station size has decreased, losing its car park and talks of adding an extra platform have been halted. 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
editThe 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 unless engineering work closes Colchester station, in which case Colchester Town is used as an alternative station.
| Operator | Route | Rolling stock | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Anglia | London Liverpool Street - Stratford - Romford - Shenfield - Chelmsford - Witham - Kelvedon - Marks Tey - Colchester - Colchester Town | Class 720 | 1x per hour each direction | Monday-Saturday only |
| Colchester - Colchester Town - Hythe - Wivenhoe - Alresford - Great Bentley - Weeley - Thorpe-le-Soken - Kirby Cross - Frinton-on-Sea - Walton-on-the-Naze | 1x per hour each direction | Monday-Saturday only | ||
| Colchester - Colchester Town | 1x per hour each direction | Monday-Saturday only |
References
edit- ^ "GE RailRef Line Codes Great Eastern". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
- ^ Padgett, David (October 2016) [1988]. Brailsford, Martyn (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams 2: Eastern (4th ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. map 6A. ISBN 978-0-9549866-8-1.
- ^ 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
edit- Train times and station information for Colchester Town railway station from National Rail
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colchester | Greater Anglia Sunshine Coast Line |
Hythe | ||