Colchester railway station
Colchester 
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The old station building, which is now the rear entrance
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| Location | |
| Place | Colchester |
| Local authority | Borough of Colchester |
| Coordinates | 51°54′02″N 0°53′34″E / 51.9006°N 0.8929°ECoordinates: 51°54′02″N 0°53′34″E / 51.9006°N 0.8929°E |
| Grid reference | TL990263 |
| Operations | |
| Station code | COL |
| Managed by | Abellio Greater Anglia |
| Number of platforms | 6 |
| DfT category | B |
| Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries |
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| Annual rail passenger usage* | |
| 2011/12 |
 4.579 million |
| – Interchange |
0.379 million |
| 2012/13 |
 4.291 million |
| – Interchange |
0.406 million |
| 2013/14 |
4.402 million |
| – Interchange |
0.421 million |
| 2014/15 |
4.457 million |
| – Interchange |
0.462 million |
| 2015/16 |
4.461 million |
| – Interchange |
0.508 million |
| History | |
| Original company | Eastern Counties Railway |
| Pre-grouping | Great Eastern Railway |
| Post-grouping | London and North Eastern Railway |
| 29 March 1843 | Opened |
| 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 from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year. | |
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Colchester railway station (also known as Colchester North) is on the Great Eastern Main Line (GEML) in the East of England, and is the primary station serving the town of Colchester, Essex. Its three-letter station code is COL. It is 51 miles 52 chains (83.1 km) down-line from London Liverpool Street and on the GEML is situated between Marks Tey to the west and Manningtree to the east. Colchester is also the location of a major junction where the GEML links to the Sunshine Coast Line, which runs south to Clacton-on-Sea and, via a short branch, to Walton-on-the-Naze; services to and from Colchester Town also join the GEML at the Colchester junction. The junction is grade-separated so trains branching to and from Colchester Town or the Sunshine Coast Line do not cross the main line.
Colchester station was opened in 1843 by the Eastern Counties Railway. It is currently managed by Abellio Greater Anglia, which also operates all trains serving the station.
The station was opened on 29 March 1843 by the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) and was named simply as Colchester. Locally, however, it is also known as Colchester North to distinguish it from Colchester Town station. Buses also use this unofficial name. Colchester station is not particularly conveniently sited for the town, but buses connect to the town centre. Colchester Town station is closer to the town centre (hence its name).
The ECR had planned to build a line from London to Norwich using a very similar route to that on which the Great Eastern Main Line operates today, but funding became a problem and apart from surveying a section onwards to Ardleigh, they were forced to abandon any further line construction.
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Wikipedia