| Colchester Town | |
| Symbol Location: | gb |
| Symbol: | rail |
| Borough: | Colchester, City of Colchester |
| Country: | England |
| Coordinates: | 51.8865°N 0.9044°W |
| Grid Name: | Grid reference |
| Manager: | Greater Anglia |
| Platforms: | 1 |
| Code: | CET |
| Classification: | DfT category E |
| Original: | Tendring Hundred Railway |
| Pregroup: | Great Eastern Railway |
| Postgroup: | London and North Eastern Railway |
| Years: | 1 March 1866 |
| Events: | Opened as St. Botolph's |
| Years1: | 8 July 1991 |
| Events1: | Renamed Colchester Town |
| Footnotes: | Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road |
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 53miles from London Liverpool Street.[1] [2] Its three-letter station code is CET. The city's larger station is called (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.
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.
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.
The following services typically call at Colchester Town during the off-peak:
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 - - - - - - - - - Colchester Town | Class 720 | 1x per hour each direction | Monday-Saturday only |
| - Colchester Town - Hythe - - Alresford - - - - - - | 1x per hour each direction | Monday-Saturday only | ||
| - Colchester Town | 1x per hour each direction | Monday-Saturday only |