Garston (Hertfordshire) railway station

This article is about the station in Hertfordshire. For the former station on Merseyside, see Garston (Merseyside) railway station.

Garston
Location
Place	Garston
Local authority	Watford
Operations
Station code	GSN
Managed by	London Midland
Number of platforms	1
Live arrivals/departures and station information from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage
2004/05 *	81,113
2005/06 *	77,654
2006/07 *	86,038
2007/08 *	93,079
2008/09 *	89,108
2009/10 *	78,916
History
Station opened	1966
National Rail - UK railway stations
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Garston from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Please note: methodology may vary year on year.

Garston railway station serves the Garston area of Watford in Hertfordshire, England. It is the second station on the Abbey Line after leaving Watford Junction. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by London Midland.

Like all the other stations on the branch, Garston is now a simple unstaffed halt, but at the time of its opening in 1966 this was a welcome addition to a branch which was otherwise being heavily rationalised.

History

Garston Station was opened by the Mayor of Watford on 7 February 1966. It consisted of just a short wooden platform. It was probably the first entirely new station (as opposed to a relocation) in Great Britain following the Beeching Report of 1963^{[citation needed]} which led to the closure of many stations.

In 2010 the station was improved with new signage, a new shelter, new lighting & artwork by local school children being displayed on the platform.

Services

Trains operate between Watford Junction and St Albans Abbey every 45 minutes in each direction Monday to Saturday, and every hour on Sundays.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Watford North		London Midland Abbey Line		Bricket Wood

Bus Routes

The following bus routes serve Garston Railway Station.

1 GarstonBus Garage to Watford Town Centre

W1 Garston Bus Garage to Maple Cross Downings Wood

319 Chipperfield Two Brewers to North Watford Asda Superstore

Garston Railway Station is also served by various School Bus Routes. Also a short walk away is Garston Bus Garage which is served by 320, 321, 621, 622 & Green Line 724.

Future

Possible changes on the line include new means of buying tickets, and the restoration of a passing loop at Bricket Wood, which would facilitate a 30-minute train service. In October 2009 the Department for Transport announced plans to convert the line to light rail operation.

External links

• Train times and station information for Garston (Hertfordshire) railway station from National Rail
• Garston station at abbeyline.org.uk