The station opened in 1843 by the Eastern Counties Railway for services on the Great Eastern Main Line; the Sudbury branch line followed in 1849. From that date until 1889, the station was known as Marks Tey Junction. The branch line is only accessible to trains travelling from Colchester.[1]
The opening of the Colne Valley and Halstead Railway off the Sudbury branch in 1860, and the extension of the branch beyond Sudbury via the Stour Valley Railway in 1865 to Cambridge, added importance to Marks Tey as a junction, allowing through-trains from Colchester.
These passenger services were gradually cut back and the closure of the Sudbury to Cambridge link in March 1967 saw the end of through running.
An 1897 survey shows sidings on the up side at the Colchester end of the main line platform but the main concentration of sidings including a goods shed and a turntable are on the down side at the Colchester end primarily servicing the branch line.[1]
Accidents and incidents
On 29 December 1906, 34 people sustained minor injuries in a collision between two portions of a split passenger train at Marks Tey. As the main portion of the 5:30 pm service from London Liverpool Street to Ipswich came to an unscheduled stop at the station, the rear portion had been erroneously detached from the front section and crashed into the rear of it at low speed.[2]
On 12 June 2008, a freight train was partially derailed at Marks Tey due to a track defect, causing minor injury to its two crew members. As it passed through the station at 2:05pm, two wheelsets on one of the wagons were derailed, also causing damage to the rolling stock and to infrastructure.[3]
Facilities
It is located on Station Road, just off the A120 road that runs through the village parallel to the railway.
The ticket office is open seven days a week, with ticket machines also available. There is a car park for rail users with 271 spaces; there are also 260 spaces for bicycles.[4]
The up (London-bound) platform 1 has an operational length for nine-coach trains, the down platform 2 can accommodate 11-coach trains and platform 3 (for the Sudbury branch) has an operational length for two-coach trains.[5]
Services
All services are operated by Greater Anglia. The typical off-peak service along the Great Eastern Main Line is two trains per hour to London Liverpool Street, one to Ipswich and one to Colchester Town. There is an hourly service along the branch line to Sudbury.[6]
During peak times, service frequencies may be increased and calling patterns varied including direct trains to Clacton on Sea.
