St Albans City railway station
St Albans  |
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| Exterior of the main building on Station Way | |
| Location | |
| Place | St Albans |
| Local authority | City and District of St Albans |
| Coordinates | 51°45′01″N 0°19′39″W / 51.7504°N 0.3274°WCoordinates: 51°45′01″N 0°19′39″W / 51.7504°N 0.3274°W |
| Operations | |
| Station code | SAC |
| Managed by | First Capital Connect |
| Number of platforms | 4 |
| Live arrivals/departures and station information from National Rail Enquiries |
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| Annual rail passenger usage | |
| 2004/05 * | 5.340 million |
| 2005/06 * |  5.635 million |
| 2006/07 * | 6.041 million |
| 2007/08 * | 6.338 million |
| 2008/09 * |  6.274 million |
| 2009/10 * | 5.987 million |
| History | |
| Opened 1 October 1868 | |
| 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 St Albans from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Please note: methodology may vary year on year. | |
| Railways around St. Albans | |
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St Albans City railway station, also shortened to St Albans, is one of two railway stations in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England, the other being St Albans Abbey railway station. City station is the more important of the two stations. It is located 0.5 miles (0.80 km) east of the city centre, on the Midland Main Line and served by First Capital Connect on the Thameslink service.
The station was built by the Midland Railway in 1868 on its extension to St Pancras. Formerly, St Albans was famous for producing watercress which was sent in 56-pound (25 kg) lots to London and Manchester.
The other station, St Albans Abbey, was built by the London and North Western Railway in 1858. There was originally a further station called London Road, built by the Hatfield and St Albans Railway in 1863 to connect with the Great Northern Railway.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Description
The station has four platforms, two for each direction: one "fast" and one "slow". The main entrance, ticket office, multi-storey car park, taxi rank and bus connections are on Station Way, east of the station. There is a second exit to the west, to a small surface car park off Ridgmont Road and Victoria Street, located at the original entrance to the station. Somewhat controversially, a larger surface car park to the east of the railway lines gained planning permission in 2003, in connection with a large residential development. [1]
There are ticket barriers at both entrances.
The station has a PlusBus scheme where combined train and bus tickets can be bought at a reduced price.
There is also a WH Smith, a Pumpkin food stall, a newsagent and an AMT coffee stand. There is also an AMT Coffee stand on platforms 2 and 3. Just outside the station there is a flower stall. There are also several metro newspaper containers in the main station building.
St Albans South signal box has been restored at the station and has been opened as a visitor attraction by the St Albans Signal Box Preservation Trust.[2]
[edit] Services
In the southbound direction, principal stations served include London St Pancras, London Bridge, Sevenoaks, Wimbledon, Sutton, East Croydon, Gatwick Airport, Haywards Heath and Brighton. In the northbound direction, principal stations served include Luton and Bedford.
[edit] Post Thameslink Programme
After the Thameslink Programme is finished in 2018, the indicated service pattern is as follows:
- Off Peak:
- 4tph Bedford - Brighton semi-fast 12-car
- 2tph St Albans - Caterham slow 8-car
- 2tph St Albans - Bellingham slow 8-car
- 2tph Luton - Sevenoaks slow 8-car
- Peak (in addition to above):
- Bedford - East Grinstead semi-fast 12-car
- Bedford - Tumbridge Wells semi-fast 12-car
- Luton - Ashford International semi-fast 12-car
[edit] Service patterns
| Preceding station |  National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Capital Connect | ||||
| First Capital Connect
Sutton Loop
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| Terminus | ||||
| First Capital Connect
Bedford-Sevenoaks
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[edit] Gallery
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St Albans City rail station (view from platform 1)
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Northward view from the island platforms (Platforms 2 and 3). The points at the right are used by northbound terminating trains to access the southbound Platform 1 for the return trip.
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Northbound Midland Mainline train, formed of Class 222 Meridian units, passing through Platform 4
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General view across the station, from the Victoria Street bridge
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Buildings on the island platform
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[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Radford, B., (1983) Midland Line Memories: a Pictorial History of the Midland Railway Main Line Between London (St Pancras) & Derby London: Bloomsbury Books
- ^ http://www.sigbox.co.uk
[edit] Sources
- Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0508-1. OCLC 60251199.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: St Albans Railway Station |
- Train times and station information for St Albans City railway station from National Rail
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