Hitchin railway station
Hitchin | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Location | North Hertfordshire |
| Managed by | First Capital Connect |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Station code | HIT |
| History | |
| Original company | Great Northern Railway |
| Post-grouping | London and North Eastern Railway |
| Key dates | |
| 7 August 1850 | Station opened |
Hitchin Railway Station serves the town of Hitchin in Hertfordshire. It is located approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) north east of the town centre and 31 miles 74 chains (51.4 km) north of London Kings Cross on the East Coast Main Line.[1]
In August 2007 Hitchin was awarded Secure Station status after improvements to station security were made by First Capital Connect, including new lighting, extra CCTV and the installation of Automatic Ticket Gates.
History
The first section of the Great Northern Railway (GNR) - that from Louth to a junction with the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway at Grimsby - opened on 1 March 1848, but the southern section of the main line, between Maiden Lane and Peterborough, was not opened until August 1850. Hitchin was one of the original stations, opening with the line on 7 August 1850.[2][3][4]
On 21 October 1850 Hitchin became a junction station with the opening of the first section of the Royston and Hitchin Railway, between Hitchin and Royston (it was extended to Shepreth on 3 August 1851).[5] The Midland Railway (MR) opened a route from Leicester via Bedford to Hitchin on 1 February 1858, by which MR trains used the GNR to reach London.[6]
After the opening of the Midland Railway's own line from Bedford via Luton to London, and their terminus at St. Pancras in 1868, their line between Bedford and Hitchin was reduced to branch status. It lost its passenger service in 1961 and was closed completely in 1964, with the exception of a stub from Bedford to Cardington which itself was closed in 1969. In May 1964 part of the line was used for the railway scene in the film Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines.[7] The embankment for the line could, until early 2012, still be walked from just north of the station, through the fields to Ickleford, but this section is now closed off. Opened in June 2013 a new embankment now carries a single-track line onto a viaduct for Letchworth-bound trains over the East Coast Main Line as part of the Hitchin flyover project [8]
Facilities
There are 12 car platforms on the Up and Down Slow lines only. 17 chains (340 m) to the north of the station is Cambridge Junction, where northbound trains for Cambridge need to cross the two Up (southbound) lines.[1]
Following a recent refurbishment of the station by First Capital Connect, the station's subway was refurbished at a cost of £300k.[9] The refurbishment also involved general cosmetic work throughout the station, as well as a new high quality waiting room in the existing station buildings on Platform 2. This waiting room is fully accessible at all times via the automatic doors.
There is a small shop located by the stairs on Platform two, and various vending machines throughout the station.
The station has a large booking office and a variety of modern Touch Screen ticket machines located in the booking office, and the station's cycle facilities were completely upgraded in 2007 and now include sheltered spaces for 68 bicycles provided next to the station buildings. The station also has help points throughout.
Hitchin station now has automatic ticket gates at the station entrance, which were installed by First Capital Connect during 2007.
In 2013, Network Rail proposed plans for 2 new lifts, one for each platform to improve access for those with pushchairs or disabilities. If approved, these would be installed by 2014, although Network Rail has said the installation would be completed sooner if possible.[citation needed]
Services
Hitchin railway station is managed by First Capital Connect and has 2 platforms situated on the slow lines. Platform 1 is used for trains towards London and the odd terminating service, Platform 2 is used for trains towards Peterborough & Cambridge. Platform 1 also provides access to the sidings, used for removing stone and scrap metal.
In the current 2013-14 off-peak timetable there are two trains per hour to both Peterborough & Cambridge northbound, plus one that terminates at Letchworth. One of the Cambridge services calls at principle stations only whilst the other serves all intermediate stations; Peterborough trains call at all stations north of here. Southbound there are four trains per hour to Kings Cross - two are limited stop whilst the other two serve principle stations to Potters Bar, then Finsbury Park & Kings Cross. There is also an hourly service to Moorgate via Hertford North on weekdays only. There are a number of peak hour service variations and extra calls, including some trains that start & finish at Royston and limited stop expresses to Peterborough & London.[10]
On Sundays, there are two trains per hour to London (one semi-fast, one stopper) & Cambridge & an hourly service to Peterborough.
Junction development
Down trains from London to Cambridge used to use a ladder crossing over the up lines in order to reach the Cambridge Line, which often caused significant delays to trains in both directions.
In June 2013 Network Rail completed a flyover to carry Down trains to Cambridge over the top of the main line,[11] with an estimated cost of £62.6 million.
Ticket Office Opening Times & Station Staffing Hours
Below are the current opening and staffing times for Hitchin, as of 2010[update].[12]
| Ticket Office Hours | ||
|---|---|---|
| Day | Opens | Closes |
| Monday to Friday | 06:15 | 20:00 |
| Saturday | 06:15 | 20:00 |
| Sunday | 07:15 | 18:30 |
| Station Staffing Hours | ||
|---|---|---|
| Day | From | Until |
| Monday to Friday | 06:00 | 21:00 |
| Saturday | 06:00 | 21:00 |
| Sunday | 07:00 | 18:50 |
Route
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Capital Connect Great Northern Peterborough Line | ||||
| First Capital Connect Great Northern Cambridge Line | ||||
| Disused railways | ||||
Line and station closed | London, Midland and Scottish Railway | Terminus | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
Line open, station relocated | Great Northern Railway | Line open, station closed |
||
References
- ^ a b Yonge, John (September 2006) [1994]. Jacobs, Gerald (ed.). 2: Eastern. Railway Track Diagrams (3rd ed.). Bradford on Avon: Trackmaps. p. 15 section B. ISBN 0-9549866-2-8.
- ^ Gordon, W.J. (1989) [1910]. Our Home Railways. London: Bracken Books. volume II, p. 44. ISBN 1-85170-314-4.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - ^ Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. London: Guild Publishing. p. 135. CN 8983.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - ^ Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 121. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
- ^ Awdry 1990, p. 158
- ^ Gordon 1989, volume I, pp. 77–8
- ^ Howard, Philip (2006). Take the Train from Hitchin. Hitchin: Hitchin Historical Society. pp. 20–22. ISBN 0-9552411-0-3.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - ^ Network Rail. "Hitchin Flyover". Retrieved 15 April 2010.
- ^ http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/Main.php?sEvent=News&sFileName=News.php&iId=158
- ^ GB National Rail Timetable 2013-14, Table 25
- ^ "Hitchin flyover". Network Rail. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
- ^ http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/Main.php?sEvent=StationInfo&crs_code=HIT
External links
- Train times and station information for Hitchin railway station from National Rail
- Hitchin: Here we explain our plans to improve the rail links between London, Hitchin and Cambridge on Network Rail website