Trains. Convenience store. Starbucks…read more Direct East Anglia lines to London, hare fares after 9am when we were in the area for our visit. Simple to use, relatively clean, and decent amenities. We used it most days during our 10 day England visit, and became quickly adept at getting it and understanding what we needed to know and do here. It gets the job done.

Hey I just met you And this is crazy…read moreBut let's go to a station Colchester maybe? It's a three-star station at best with only a tiny building and not much inside, and you have to pass the security to access anything, and there's usually a guy on the security. Having said that, I was able to get in and out very quickly on both occasions when I needed to, urgently in a hurry both ways, and what's more I had a very positive experience with wonderful memories here. It's easy to get from platform to platform which was much needed, and so I have nothing but great things to say about this rail station. That's why I bumped them up by an extra star.

Typical small town train station with services to London Liverpool Street on the hour. The ticket…read moremachine regularly breaks - just go to the counter

Grubby little station where it seems like trains take ages to arriveread more

Fantastic views (for a train station) Has a pub…read moreGenerally friendly staff Always kept clean and tidy. Downside, even with the new multi-storey parking there still isn't enough if you happen to travel after 10am into town (oh and for those people who think it's on to park your SUV over two spaces.....a hex be on you..)

This railway stop is placed between Ipswich and Colchester…read more It's a nice station with a lot of original features. There are a couple of waiting rooms available and a popular pub which has various deals on and is very lively in the evenings. There is a large car park which overlooks some fields. Currently it is being built on to provide a multi storey parking facility. There is a short stay parking bay closest to the station foot entrance. There is also ample storage for bikes.

Just a small station with some regular services to London…read more If you're coming to the station from Norwich you have to make a change at Colchester more often than not. There's several ticket windows open to buy tickets from a person or a machine just outside as you arrive. There's a lift down to the platforms for anyone with difficulties or luggage. There's nothing in the form of shops on the station itself, just the usual snack and drink vending machine, though during the day there is a mini vehicle that sells magazine and across the way there is a juice and coffee bar. There's a taxi rank just opposite.

Not a good looking station and not much in the way of shops or cafes but it does the job with…read moreservices to London, Chelmsford, Colchester and other major towns

Well, what can I say about the station I have been commuting from for 25 years? Disappointing…read morepretty much covers it. Not much has changed in all those years apart from a small extension of the platform and a few more coaches which are already getting full up whichever train you get before 9am. They still only run roughly 1 train an hour and the ticket office never seems to be open when you need it. It doesn't help that you can't speak to anyone actually at the ticket office when you ring but that, unfortunately, goes for any ticket office now I believe. The toilets are a desperate measure when they are open and there's not much to do nearby. If you are unlucky enough to have missed your train you have a long, cold wait in store. In recent years the area has been advertised as easily commutable to/from London but I don't consider 1 train an hour at a price of £3,500 a year to be easy travelling. Staff have not been particularly helpful over the years (I know they take a bit of flack at times but who doesn't in their job?) One exception is a local chap who seems to have been working there from the year dot. Those who are not new to the area will know who I mean. Talk of a loop line to create 2 trains an hour and a shuttle between Braintree and Witham gave a glimmer of hope but has been dropped down to sheer expense. Not a bad station if you only use it occasionally but don't get your hopes up if you're looking to commute.

A very normal English railway station, I'd say. They have a small convenience store inside the…read morebuilding where you can buy beverages, newspapers and such as well as a coffee shop and a coffee stand on platform 2. The station itself doesn't look like much from the outside but hosts several manned paydesks inside the building as well as automatic ticket machines both in front of the building and inside. It will take you about 10 minutes to walk to the center of Ipswich from the train station which is a plus, especially when the weather's nice, but if it ain't, there's a bus stop right in front of the building. I was positively surprised by the kindness of the people that work here - we departed from this station twice to go to London and during those two days we were met by very kind, helpful and polite railway employees. I'm not accustomed to the British way of speaking but it was very nice to hear the cashier say "I'm very sorry Madame, but.." in a very English manner when we were unable to change the departure hour of our tickets on our last day in Ipswich. So the very regular, borderline boring train station of Ipswich is saved by it's very kind and extremely helpful staff!

Busy station with a large multi-level car park for longer stay periods or short stay spaces are…read moreavailable in front of the station. The station is a local hub for journeys to London as well as Cambridge, Norwich for connections to more rural East Anglia Locations. There is a WHSmiths opposite the main ticket points. The LED display board sometimes doesn't function and is difficult to read. LED clocks display the time at various locations on the platforms. A small covered foot bridge is used to cross the track, though those requiring assistance can be escorted along another less stressed route. There are various waiting rooms throughout the station including first class facilities. There is an AMT coffee bar as well as a small cafe selling filled baguettes.

On the Great Eastern line between London and Norwich, Manningtree is also the head of the branch…read morethat leads out to Harwich and the ferry to the Continent. There are three platforms - the up and down to London and the one to the North Sea. Large parking area that is a two story deck. The station also has a small pub, called the Station Buffet. Friendly service and inexpensive beer to enjoy while waiting for your train. Taxi stand just outside the station. There is no lift and it is not step-free between platforms.