Dunstable Town railway station
Encyclopedia
Dunstable Town railway station (originally Dunstable Church Street) was a station on the Great Northern Railway
branch line from Hatfield
. It served the town of Dunstable
until the passenger service ceased in 1965 under the Beeching axe
.
The line has never been legally decommissioned between Luton and Dunstable, although it is no longer in use. Dunstable is now one of the largest towns in south-east England without a railway connection. The station was immortalised in 1964 in the song "Slow Train
" by Flanders and Swann
.
The station was on Station Road.
There was also a nearby station at Dunstable North
on the same line.
Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
branch line from Hatfield
Dunstable Branch Lines
The Dunstable Branch Lines were railway branch lines that joined the English town of Dunstable to the main lines at Leighton Buzzard and Welwyn. The two lines were under separate ownership, and they joined just east of the Dunstable North station....
. It served the town of Dunstable
Dunstable
Dunstable is a market town and civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the eastward tail spurs of the Chiltern Hills, 30 miles north of London. These geographical features form several steep chalk escarpments most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the north.-Etymology:In...
until the passenger service ceased in 1965 under the Beeching axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
.
History
The station opened on 1 October 1860, being named Dunstable Church Street. It was renamed Dunstable Town on 1 January 1927, and closed on 26 April 1965.The line has never been legally decommissioned between Luton and Dunstable, although it is no longer in use. Dunstable is now one of the largest towns in south-east England without a railway connection. The station was immortalised in 1964 in the song "Slow Train
Slow Train
"Slow Train" is a song by the British duo Flanders and Swann, written in 1963.It laments the loss of British stations and railway lines in that era, due to the Beeching cuts, and also the passing of a way of life, with the advent of motorways etc....
" by Flanders and Swann
Flanders and Swann
The British duo Flanders and Swann were the actor and singer Michael Flanders and the composer, pianist and linguist Donald Swann , who collaborated in writing and performing comic songs....
.
The station was on Station Road.
There was also a nearby station at Dunstable North
Dunstable North railway station
Dunstable North was a railway station on the London and North Western Railway's branch line from Leighton Buzzard which served Dunstable in Bedfordshire from 1848 to 1967. Originally the terminus of the London and North Western Railway's branch line from Leighton Buzzard, Dunstable became the point...
on the same line.
Other stations
Other stations on the branch include:- Harpenden EastHarpenden East railway stationHarpenden East was one of two stations serving the town of Harpenden, the other station which remains open being Harpenden Central. Originally named Harpenden, the East suffix was added in 1950 to distinguish it from the Midland Railway station.- Layout :...