Trains to Hythe - Station Details and further Information on Hythe Train Services
Hythe train station serves the eastern areas of Colchester in Essex, England. To the west of the station there is a triangle of lines with three junctions. The two lines lead to Colchester Town and Colchester. The three junctions are known as Hythe Junction, East Gates Junction (at the northern extremity of the triangle), and Colne Junction (at the western extremity). East Gates Junction has a manned signal box and a busy level crossing over a major road into the town of Colchester.
On Mondays to Saturdays, a train departs hourly in each direction. The train in the 'up' (London) direction calls at Colchester Town before terminating at Colchester (North). The 'down' (away from London) train calls at Wivenhoe, Alresford, Great Bentley, Weeley, Thorpe-le-Soken, Kirby Cross and Frinton-on-Sea en route to Walton-on-the-Naze, Occasionally evening trains from Clacton on-route to London Liverpool Street call here also but these trains do not call at Colchester Town. Hythe (Essex) is closed on Sundays and all trains on the line pass through without stopping.
There are still sidings present at Hythe, although these are not in use, and there was once a short branch to Hythe quay which crossed the River Colne adjacent to the station by a small girder bridge, which is still in situ. There is no evidence today of the former quayside tracks, although aerial photo sites clearly show the exact alignments.
During the summer of 2008 the girder bridge was removed, although the concrete plinths are still in situ. During September 2008 work started on extending both platforms at Hythe, to accommodate 12-car train sets and so permit all trains on the Clacton/Walton branch to stop here without blocking the level crossing at the end of the station. As part of this work the north side siding was removed, and the pointwork and a short section of track leading to the south side sidings was also removed. Further trackwork leading to the girder bridge remains (October 2008) but will surely be removed when the platform extension work is further progressed.
Hythe underwent major rebuilding in 2009, which included extension of the platforms, and demolition of the original station building, plus dismantling of the disused coal depot.
There was also a spur from Hythe Station to Colchester Gas Works, which ran along the street to Hythe Quay. This became redundant in 1973, when the UK switched from town gas to natural gas. No trace now remains of this, apart from a small section of trackbed at Hythe, and the piers of a bridge (removed c2007), over the River Colne.
The station building (date unknown) remained until its demolition in June 2009 but had not been used for many years, having been targeted by vandals and graffiti artists. The station has no ticketing issuing facilities save for a platform-mounted travel permit machine which rarely functions correctly. With no ticket issuing or checking facility, it is doubtful whether the passenger figures given are accurate, as simple extrapolation of numbers of passengers who alight from each train give a figure some 40% higher than the official figures.
Hythe Station along with Colchester Town the next stop on the line towards London on the Line From Walton-on-the-Naze are the only two stations on the Sunshine Coast Route along with the sign at the ticket office at Clacton-on-Sea to still have First Great Eastern Livery signs still erected, although the First label has been removed due to First Group losing the Great Eastern Franchise. The Great Eastern Logo along with the blue green and white are still here today. |
