Kelvedon railway station

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.^[1] Its three-letter station code is KEL.

Kelvedon
General information
Location	Kelvedon and Feering, District of Braintree England
Coordinates	51°50′27.29″N 0°42′09.85″E
Grid reference	TL862192
Managed by	Greater Anglia
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	KEL
Classification	DfT category C2
History
Original company	Eastern Counties Railway
Pre-grouping	Great Eastern Railway
Post-grouping	London and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
29 March 1843	Opened
Passengers
2019/20	0.798 million
2020/21	0.120 million
2021/22	0.356 million
2022/23	0.482 million
2023/24	0.546 million
Location
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

The station was opened in 1843 by the Eastern Counties Railway. It is currently operated by Greater Anglia, who also operate all trains serving it, as part of the East Anglia franchise.

To the north-east was a separate station called Kelvedon Low Level, which until 1951 was the terminus of the now disused Kelvedon and Tollesbury Light Railway.

History

The section of the Eastern Counties Railway between Brentwood and Colchester was opened on 29 March 1843,^[2] and one of the original stations on that section was Kelvedon.^[3]

Kelvedon (High Level) station, 1950.

In common with most rural stations, Kelvedon handled local goods and a 1923 plan shows sidings with cattle pens on the up-side at the London end, and sidings with a goods shed on the down-side at the London end of the station.^[4] There was also a large warehouse which was used by King Seeds for many years on the down-side.^[5] The goods yard closed on 7 December 1964.^[6]

There was a link line to Kelvedon Low Level railway station with a drop of 1 in 50, which joined the main line at the country end of the up line.^[6]

The station complex was controlled by a signal box at the London end of the up platform which closed on 3 December 1961 when Witham power box became responsible for the section through to Marks Tey.^[6]

Accidents and incidents

• On 17 October 1872, one passenger was killed and 16 people were injured in a derailment at Kelvedon. The 09:45 express service from Yarmouth to Bishopsgate left the tracks as it approached Kelvedon at a speed of up to 40 mph. A Board of Trade investigation blamed a suspension defect through lack of maintenance.^[7]
• On 4 October 2005, a team of track maintenance staff was working by a set of points at Kelvedon when the 13:30 passenger train from Norwich to Liverpool Street passed through the station. The team had taken refuge in a place of safety as the train passed, but one of them was injured by a steel threaded plug which flew off the moving locomotive, which was travelling at speed. The worker suffered a fracture to his skull and injury to his hand.^[8]

Services

The following services typically call at Kelvedon:^[9]

Operator	Route	Rolling stock	Frequency	Notes
Greater Anglia	London Liverpool Street - Stratford - Shenfield - Chelmsford - Hatfield Peverel - Witham - Kelvedon - Marks Tey - Colchester - Manningtree - Ipswich	Class 321, Class 720	1x per hour in each direction	Also calls at Ingatestone on Sundays
Greater Anglia	London Liverpool Street - Stratford - Romford - Shenfield - Chelmsford - Witham - Kelvedon - Marks Tey - Colchester - Colchester Town	Class 321, Class 720	1x per hour in each direction	Not Sundays

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Witham		Greater Anglia Great Eastern Main Line		Marks Tey