Cressing railway station

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.

Cressing
Cressing railway station in 1976
LocationCressing, Braintree
England
Coordinates51.852°N 0.578°E / 51.852; 0.578
Grid referenceTL776202
Managed byAbellio Greater Anglia
Platforms1
Other information
Station codeCES
ClassificationDfT category F2
History
Original companyEastern Counties Railway
Pre-groupingGreat Eastern Railway
Post-groupingLondon and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
2 October 1848 (1848-10-02)Opened as Bulford
1 February 1911Renamed Cressing
Passengers
2015/16 29,992
2016/17 33,176
2017/18 34,568
2018/19 39,010
2019/20 46,568
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

The station is currently managed by Abellio Greater Anglia, which also operates all trains serving it.

History

The Maldon, Witham & Braintree Railway (MWBR) was authorised in 1846 but prior to its opening the company was absorbed by the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR).[1] The line opened for goods traffic on 15 August 1848, and for passenger services on 2 October 1848;[1] it was double-tracked throughout until the Crimean War.

The station, originally named Bulford, was also opened on 2 October 1848. It was renamed Cressing on 1 February 1911.[2] It is suggested that the large crossing gates were present because Cressing had a passing loop until after World War I, and retained the loop for freight purposes until goods traffic ceased on the line in 1964.

The station was owned by the Great Eastern Railway (GER) from 1862 to 1923, but as the building does not show typical GER architectural canopy support features, it is likely that it pre-dates the GER. Although there does not appear to be any obvious evidence (as in the case of Maldon East & Heybridge which displays "MWB" on the gulleys at the top of its downpipes) that it was built when the line first opened, that is a possibility and if so would make it the only surviving MWBR structure on this railway.

There was originally a signal box on the platform, next to the level crossing. This was removed and relocated to the preserved Colne Valley Railway at Castle Hedingham in the 1970s.

Cressing signal box in 1976, before electrification

Services

The typical off-peak service is of one train per hour to Braintree and one to Witham, where most Monday-Saturday services continue onto the Great Eastern Main Line to London Liverpool Street. On Sundays all services terminate at Witham and passengers travelling on towards London must change for a connecting main line train.

Services are typically formed by Class 321 electric multiple units.

References
  1. Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. London: Guild Publishing. p. 147. CN 8983.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. pp. 48, 71. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
Preceding station National Rail Following station
White Notley   Greater Anglia
Braintree Branch Line		   Braintree Freeport
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