Colchester railway station

Colchester railway station is on the Great Eastern Main Line 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 51mi down-line from London Liverpool Street and on the GEML is situated between to the west and 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 and, via a short branch, to ; services to and from 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 Greater Anglia, which also operates all trains serving the station.HistoryThe 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 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, they were forced to abandon any further line construction.