Cheshunt railway station
Encyclopedia
Cheshunt railway station serves the town of Cheshunt
in Hertfordshire
, England
. It is on the West Anglia Main Line
and the Lea Valley Lines
, and train services are provided by National Express East Anglia.
National Express East Anglia has fulfilled a franchise commitment to extend the bay platform
at Cheshunt to accommodate 8-coach trains (previously it could only accommodate up to 6 coaches). The works also involved replacing all existing station buildings, and replacing the station footbridge
. Construction commenced in December 2005 and was largely complete by August 2006.
In the 2012 Summer Olympics
, Cheshunt station (along with Waltham Cross
, the next southbound station) will serve as the main access point for the Broxbourne whitewater canoe and kayak slalom
.
An Oyster Card
extension to Cheshunt station from Enfield Lock railway station
/Turkey Street railway station
is in the planning stages. This means Waltham Cross railway station
and Theobalds Grove railway station
will also be included in the extension and will allow passengers travelling to Central London to be able to use Oyster, rather than paper tickets to travel.
in 1846 .
The lines from Hackney Downs to Bishop's Stortford and Hertford East, including those through Cheshunt station, were electrified on November 21, 1960. The lines south from Cheshunt via Tottenham Hale
were not electrified until May 5, 1969.
A railway existed in Cheshunt before the station and the main line from London were originally opened in the 1840s. The horse
-drawn Cheshunt Railway was opened on 26 June 1825. Based on a design by Henry Robinson Palmer
, this line ran for 0.75 mi (1.2 km) from the town's High Street
to the River Lea, near where Cheshunt station is today. This long-defunct railway is of interest as it was the world's first passenger-carrying monorail
and the first railway line to open in Hertfordshire.
Cheshunt
Cheshunt is a town in Hertfordshire, England with a population of around 52,000 according to the United Kingdom's 2001 Census. It is a dormitory town and part of the Greater London Urban Area and London commuter belt served by Cheshunt railway station...
in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is on the West Anglia Main Line
West Anglia Main Line
The West Anglia Main Line is one of the two main lines which run from London Liverpool Street, the other being the Great Eastern Main Line. It runs generally north from London, through the towns of Cheshunt, Broxbourne, Harlow, Bishop's Stortford and Audley End station before reaching Cambridge,...
and the Lea Valley Lines
Lea Valley Lines
The Lea Valley Lines are three commuter lines and two branches in North East London, so named because they run along the valley of the River Lea...
, and train services are provided by National Express East Anglia.
National Express East Anglia has fulfilled a franchise commitment to extend the bay platform
Bay platform
Bay platform is a railway-related term commonly used in the UK and Australia to describe a dead-end platform at a railway station that has through lines...
at Cheshunt to accommodate 8-coach trains (previously it could only accommodate up to 6 coaches). The works also involved replacing all existing station buildings, and replacing the station footbridge
Footbridge
A footbridge or pedestrian bridge is a bridge designed for pedestrians and in some cases cyclists, animal traffic and horse riders, rather than vehicular traffic. Footbridges complement the landscape and can be used decoratively to visually link two distinct areas or to signal a transaction...
. Construction commenced in December 2005 and was largely complete by August 2006.
In the 2012 Summer Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
, Cheshunt station (along with Waltham Cross
Waltham Cross railway station
Waltham Cross railway station, opened in 1840, is a railway station that serves Waltham Cross in Hertfordshire, England. It is also the closest railway station to Waltham Abbey, Essex, England...
, the next southbound station) will serve as the main access point for the Broxbourne whitewater canoe and kayak slalom
Broxbourne (canoeing venue)
Lee Valley White Water Centre will host the canoe slalom events of the 2012 Summer Olympics. On 9 December 2010, Anne, Princess Royal officially opened the venue. The £31 million project was finished on schedule and was the first newly-constructed Olympic venue to be completed...
.
An Oyster Card
Oyster card
The Oyster card is a form of electronic ticketing used on public transport services within the Greater London area of the United Kingdom. It is promoted by Transport for London and is valid on a number of different travel systems across London including London Underground, buses, the Docklands...
extension to Cheshunt station from Enfield Lock railway station
Enfield Lock railway station
Enfield Lock railway station is in the London Borough of Enfield in north east London, and is in Travelcard Zone 6, on the Tottenham Hale branch of the Lea Valley Lines, on the West Anglian Railway...
/Turkey Street railway station
Turkey Street railway station
Turkey Street railway station is located in the Bullsmoor area of Enfield in the London Borough of Enfield, North London.The station is in Travelcard Zone 6 and is served by Lea Valley Lines services...
is in the planning stages. This means Waltham Cross railway station
Waltham Cross railway station
Waltham Cross railway station, opened in 1840, is a railway station that serves Waltham Cross in Hertfordshire, England. It is also the closest railway station to Waltham Abbey, Essex, England...
and Theobalds Grove railway station
Theobalds Grove railway station
Theobalds Grove railway station serves Waltham Cross in Hertfordshire, England. It is part of the Lea Valley Lines network, and train services are provided by National Express East Anglia.-History:...
will also be included in the extension and will allow passengers travelling to Central London to be able to use Oyster, rather than paper tickets to travel.
History
The railway line from Stratford to Broxbourne was opened by the Northern & Eastern Railway on 15 September 1840. Cheshunt station itself was opened by the Eastern Counties RailwayEastern Counties Railway
The Eastern Counties Railway was an early English railway company incorporated in 1836. It was intended to link London with Ipswich via Colchester, and then on to Norwich and Yarmouth. Construction began in late March 1837 on the first nine miles, at the London end of the line.Construction was...
in 1846 .
The lines from Hackney Downs to Bishop's Stortford and Hertford East, including those through Cheshunt station, were electrified on November 21, 1960. The lines south from Cheshunt via Tottenham Hale
Tottenham Hale station
Tottenham Hale, is a National Rail and London Underground Victoria Line station in Tottenham, north London. It is on Hale Road near the Tottenham Hale one-way gyratory system...
were not electrified until May 5, 1969.
A railway existed in Cheshunt before the station and the main line from London were originally opened in the 1840s. The horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
-drawn Cheshunt Railway was opened on 26 June 1825. Based on a design by Henry Robinson Palmer
Henry Robinson Palmer
Henry Robinson Palmer was a British civil engineer who designed the world's first monorail system and the first elevated railsystem...
, this line ran for 0.75 mi (1.2 km) from the town's High Street
High Street
High Street, or the High Street, is a metonym for the generic name of the primary business street of towns or cities, especially in the United Kingdom. It is usually a focal point for shops and retailers in city centres, and is most often used in reference to retailing...
to the River Lea, near where Cheshunt station is today. This long-defunct railway is of interest as it was the world's first passenger-carrying monorail
Monorail
A monorail is a rail-based transportation system based on a single rail, which acts as its sole support and its guideway. The term is also used variously to describe the beam of the system, or the vehicles traveling on such a beam or track...
and the first railway line to open in Hertfordshire.
Service
The typical off-peak service from the station is:- 4tph (trains per hour) to London Liverpool StreetLiverpool Street stationLiverpool Street railway station, also known as London Liverpool Street or simply Liverpool Street, is both a central London railway terminus and a connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, England...
via Tottenham Hale - 2tph to London Liverpool Street via Seven SistersSeven Sisters stationSeven Sisters station is a National Rail and London Underground Victoria Line station in the Seven Sisters area of the London Borough of Haringey, north London.The station is in Travelcard Zone 3....
- 2tph to CambridgeCambridge railway stationCambridge railway station is a railway station serving the city of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located at the end of Station Road, off Hills Road, 1 mile south-east of the city centre...
- 2tph to Bishops Stortford, one of which is extended to Stansted AirportStansted Airport railway stationStansted Airport railway station serves London Stansted Airport in Essex, England.It is situated at the end of a short branch from the West Anglia Main Line. The branch was constructed at a cost of £44 million and opened in 1991, to coincide with the completion of the airport's new terminal building...
- 2tph to Hertford EastHertford East railway stationHertford East railway station is one of two stations in Hertford in Hertfordshire, England. The station is 39 km north of London Liverpool Street. It is fifteen minutes' walk from Hertford North station....
- 1tph to StratfordStratford stationStratford station is a large multilevel railway station in Stratford, east London. The station is served by the National Rail services National Express East Anglia, London Overground and c2c, by London Underground's Central and Jubilee lines, and by the Docklands Light Railway . Stratford is in...