Witham railway station

Witham
Witham
	Witham railway station in 2017, looking towards London
General information
Location	Witham, District of Braintree ; England
Coordinates	51°48′21.53″N0°38′20.77″E / 51.8059806°N 0.6391028°E Coordinates: 51°48′21.53″N0°38′20.77″E / 51.8059806°N 0.6391028°E
Grid reference	TL820152
Managed by	Greater Anglia
Platforms	4
Other information
Station code	WTM
Classification	DfT category C2
History
Original company	Eastern Counties Railway
Pre-grouping	Great Eastern Railway
Post-grouping	London and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
1843	Opened
Passengers
2017/18	2.332 million
Interchange	0.127 million

Last updated November 30, 2022

Layout

Platform 1 is rarely used except for peak-hour services to and from London Liverpool Street starting or terminating at Witham; a limited number of through-trains towards London use this platform as well. Platform 1 was formerly used by trains on the now disused Witham-Maldon branch line. Platform 2 is typically used by services towards London and platform 3 is for country-bound trains. Platform 4 is for Braintree branch services; this platform may also be used by through eastbound services stopping during peak times to allow fast express trains to pass through unhindered. Some evening peak services terminating at Witham also use platform 4. A new passing loop is planned to the north of Witham to further enable express services to overtake stopping services in either direction.^[9]

The station's car park is situated next to the station. To access the car park from the station passengers once had to exit onto the street and take a substantial walk to the road bridge across the tracks situated just past the western end of the station, over the bridge and then down a residential road the other side of the tracks. Passengers campaigned for a remedy to this issue for many years. In 2001 funding was announced to build a footbridge direct from the station to the car park,^[10] but this was subsequently withdrawn indefinitely due to financial cutbacks following the collapse of Railtrack. Reports of a new funding package for a footbridge emerged in 2008.^[11] Work took place between in 2011 which included a new entrance at the station to provide access to and from the adjacent car park. The footbridge opened in August 2011. The improvements also saw new disabled parking facilities, a customer help point and information point and new sheltered cycle storage.

An 1897 survey of the station shows a small system of sidings on the down-side at the London end and also a siding with a turntable at the country end off the Braintree branch. On the up-side there were sidings serving an auction mart and cattle pens at the London end; and the Maltings and a coal yard at the country end accessed from both the main line and the Maldon branch. The Maldon branch had at an earlier date been served by a triangular junction which facilitated direct running from Colchester but it is shown as disconnected in 1897.^[12]

Services

The typical off-peak service pattern:

4 tph (trains per hour) London Liverpool Street
1 tph Ipswich
1 tph Colchester Town
1 tph Clacton-on-Sea
1 tph Braintree.

During early morning and late evenings on weekdays, one Inter City service a day calls at Witham to provide a direct service to and from Norwich. The 07:05 to Norwich and 23:15 to Liverpool Street (the latter of which also serves Shenfield). All other times passengers must change at Colchester or Ipswich.

All services are operated by Greater Anglia. During peak times, service frequencies are increased and calling patterns may vary.^[13]

Related Research Articles

The Great Eastern Main Line is a 114.5-mile (184.3 km) major railway line on the British railway system which connects Liverpool Street station in central London with destinations in east London and the East of England, including Shenfield, Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich and Norwich. Its numerous branches also connect the main line to Southminster, Braintree, Sudbury, Harwich and a number of coastal towns including Southend-on-Sea, Clacton-on-Sea, Walton-on-the-Naze and Lowestoft.

Romford railway station is an interchange station on the Great Eastern Main Line, serving the town of Romford in the London Borough of Havering, east London. It is 12 miles 30 chains (19.9 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Chadwell Heath and Gidea Park. It is also the northern terminus of a branch line to Upminster operated by London Overground. Its three-letter station code is RMF and it is in Travelcard Zone 6.

The Braintree branch line is a railway branch line in the East of England that diverges from the Great Eastern Main Line at Witham and runs north-west to Braintree. The route is 6 miles 30 chains (10.3 km) in length and there are five stations, including the two termini. The line is part of Network Rail Strategic Route 7, SRS 07.06, and is classified as a London and South-East commuter line.

Braintree railway station is the northern terminus of the Braintree Branch Line in the East of England, serving the town of Braintree, Essex. It is 44 miles 78 chains (72.38 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street via Witham; the preceding station on the route is Braintree Freeport to the south.

Braintree Freeport railway station is on the Braintree Branch Line in the East of England, serving the Braintree Village shopping centre. It is 44 miles 16 chains (71.13 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street via Witham and it is situated between Cressing to the south and Braintree to the north. Its three-letter station code is BTP. The platform has an operational length for eight-coach trains.

Marks Tey railway station is on the Great Eastern Main Line (GEML) in the East of England, serving the village of Marks Tey, Essex. It is 46 miles 49 chains (75.02 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and on the GEML is situated between Kelvedon to the west and Colchester to the east. Marks Tey is also the southern terminus of the Gainsborough Line to Sudbury. Its three-letter station code is MKT. The "up" (London-bound) platform 1 has an operational length for nine-coach trains, the "down" (Colchester-bound) platform 2 can accommodate 11-coach trains and platform 3 has an operational length for two-coach trains.

Shenfield railway station is on the Great Eastern Main Line in the East of England, serving the town of Shenfield, Essex. As well as being a key interchange for medium- and long-distance services on the main line, it is also the western terminus of a branch line to Southend Victoria and one of the two eastern termini of the Elizabeth line. It is 20 miles 16 chains (32.51 km) down the line from Liverpool Street and is situated between Brentwood and either Ingatestone on the main line or Billericay on the branch line. Its three-letter station code is SNF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunshine Coast Line</span>

The Sunshine Coast Line is the current marketing name of what originally was the Tendring Hundred Railway Line, a branch off the Great Eastern Main Line in the East of England. It links Colchester to the seaside resorts of Clacton-on-Sea and, via a branch, Walton-on-the-Naze. The line is part of the Network Rail Strategic Route 7, SRS 07.08, and is classified as a London & South East commuter line. Passenger services on the line are currently operated by Greater Anglia.

Kelvedon railway station is on the Great Eastern Main Line (GEML) in the East of England, serving the villages of Kelvedon and Feering, Essex. It is also the closest station to the settlements of Coggeshall and Tiptree. Kelvedon is 42 miles 18 chains (68.0 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street. It is situated between Witham to the west and Marks Tey and to the east. Its three-letter station code is KEL.

Wickford railway station is on the Shenfield to Southend Line and is also the western terminus of the Crouch Valley Line in the east of England, serving the town of Wickford in the Basildon district of Essex. It is 29 miles 2 chains (46.71 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Billericay to the west and, to the east, Rayleigh on the Southend Line and Battlesbridge on the Crouch Valley Line. The Engineer's Line Reference for the line is SSV, the station's three-letter station code is WIC.

Chelmsford railway station is on the Great Eastern Main Line in the East of England, serving the city of Chelmsford, Essex. It is 29 miles 60 chains (47.9 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Ingatestone to the west and Hatfield Peverel to the east. Its three-letter station code is CHM.

Bishop's Stortford railway station is on the West Anglia Main Line serving the town of Bishop's Stortford in Hertfordshire, England. It is 30 miles 27 chains (48.8 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Sawbridgeworth and Stansted Mountfitchet stations. Its three-letter station code is BIS.

Colchester railway station is on the Great Eastern Main Line (GEML) in the East of England, and is the primary station serving the city of Colchester, Essex. Its three-letter station code is COL. It is 51 miles 52 chains (83.1 km) down the 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 Town railway station 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. Its three-letter station code is CET. The city's larger station is called Colchester and is on the Great Eastern Main Line but is further away from the city centre.

Hythe railway station in Essex is on the Sunshine Coast Line, a branch of the Great Eastern Main Line in the East of England, serving Hythe and other eastern areas of Colchester. It is 53 miles 49 chains (86.3 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street. Its three-letter station code is HYH.

South Woodham Ferrers railway station is on the Crouch Valley Line in the East of England, serving the town of South Woodham Ferrers, Essex. It is 34 miles (55 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Battlesbridge to the west and North Fambridge to the east. The Engineer's Line Reference for the line is WIS; the station's three-letter station code is SOF. The platform has an operational length for eight-coach trains.

Cressing railway station is on the Braintree Branch Line in the East of England, serving the villages of Cressing and Black Notley, Essex. It is 42 miles 75 chains (69.10 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street via Witham and it is situated between White Notley to the south and Braintree Freeport to the north. Its three-letter station code is CES. The platform has an operational length for nine-coach trains.

The Bishop's Stortford–Braintree branch line was an 18-mile-long (29 km) railway line connecting existing railways at Bishop's Stortford, Dunmow and Braintree. It was promoted independently by the Bishop’s Stortford, Dunmow and Braintree Railway (BSD&BR) company, but the directors failed to generate subscriptions, or to manage the construction properly. The Great Eastern Railway was the dominant railway company in the area, and saw the line as a blocker, to prevent the incursion of a rival line, so they felt obliged to support it. However they themselves had other pressing priorities, both managerial and financial, at the time, and for some time the construction was in abeyance.

The Witham to Maldon branch line is a closed railway line joining Maldon to the British railway network at Witham in Essex, England. It was opened in 1848 and was 5+3⁄4 miles (9 km) long. It was extended to Woodham Ferris to give direct access to Southend-on-Sea, but that extension was not commercially successful.

Maldon East and Heybridge railway station served the town of Maldon and village of Heybridge in Essex, England. It was opened in 1848 by the Maldon, Witham & Braintree Railway (MWBR) on a branch line from Witham to Maldon. It was originally named Maldon but was renamed Maldon East in 1889 and then Maldon East and Heybridge in 1907.

References

↑ Yonge, John (September 2006) [1994]. Jacobs, Gerald (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams 2: Eastern (3rd ed.). Bradford on Avon: Trackmaps. map 5C. ISBN 0-9549866-2-8.
↑ Allen, Cecil J. (1956) [1955]. The Great Eastern Railway (2nd ed.). Hampton Court: Ian Allan. pp. 8, 214.
↑ Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 252. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
↑ Allen 1956 , p. 215
↑ Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. London: Guild Publishing. p. 147. CN 8983.
↑ Allen 1956 , p. 46
↑ "Accident at Witham on 1st January 1899 :: The Railways Archive".
↑ "Accident at Witham on 1st September 1905 :: The Railways Archive".
↑ https://www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Anglia-Route-Study-UPDATED-1.pdf ^{[ bare URL PDF ]}
↑ "Building A Better Railway: SRA Provides £455,000 for Witham Interchange" . Retrieved 15 July 2008.
↑ "Footbridge hopes high" . Retrieved 15 July 2008.
↑ Mitchell, Victor E. (April 2011). Eastern Main Lines - Shenfield to Ipswich. Midhurst: Middleton Press. Plan VI. ISBN 978-1-906008-96-3.
↑ Table 11 National Rail timetable, May 2016

Preceding station		Following station
Hatfield Peverel	Greater Anglia Great Eastern Main Line	Kelvedon
Chelmsford	Greater Anglia Braintree Branch Line	White Notley
Historical railways
Chelmsford	Anglia Railways London Crosslink	Colchester
Disused railways
Terminus	Great Eastern Railway Witham–Maldon branch line	Wickham Bishops

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[1] Yonge, John (September 2006) [1994]. Jacobs, Gerald (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams 2: Eastern (3rd ed.). Bradford on Avon: Trackmaps. map 5C. ISBN 0-9549866-2-8.

[2] Allen, Cecil J. (1956) [1955]. The Great Eastern Railway (2nd ed.). Hampton Court: Ian Allan. pp. 8, 214.

[3] Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 252. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.

[4] Allen 1956 , p. 215

[5] Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. London: Guild Publishing. p. 147. CN 8983.

[6] Allen 1956 , p. 46

[7] "Accident at Witham on 1st January 1899 :: The Railways Archive".

[8] "Accident at Witham on 1st September 1905 :: The Railways Archive".

[9] ttps://www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Anglia-Route-Study-UPDATED-1.pdf ^{[ bare URL PDF ]}

[10] "Building A Better Railway: SRA Provides £455,000 for Witham Interchange" . Retrieved 15 July 2008.

[11] "Footbridge hopes high" . Retrieved 15 July 2008.

[12] Mitchell, Victor E. (April 2011). Eastern Main Lines - Shenfield to Ipswich. Midhurst: Middleton Press. Plan VI. ISBN 978-1-906008-96-3.

[13] Table 11 National Rail timetable, May 2016

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