Hitchin railway station
Encyclopedia
Hitchin Railway Station serves the town of Hitchin
in Hertfordshire
. It is located approximately 1 miles (1.6 km) north east of the town centre and 31 miles (49.88954 km) north of London Kings Cross on the East Coast Main Line
.
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.
(GNR) - that from 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 and , was not opened until August 1850. Hitchin was one of the original stations, opening with the line on 7 August 1850.
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 (it was extended to on 3 August 1851). The Midland Railway
(MR) opened a route from via to Hitchin on 1 February 1858, by which MR trains used the GNR to reach London.
After the opening of the Midland Railway's own line from Bedford via to London, and their terminus at 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
. The embankment for the line can still be walked from just north of the station, through the fields to Ickleford
, though it is not a public right of way.
Following a recent refurbishment of the station by First Capital Connect
, the station's subway was refurbished at a cost of £300k. 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 stations 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.
and Peterborough
northbound seven days a week (however, the service is only hourly to and from Peterborough on Sundays). In addition, there is an hourly service from Letchworth
that stops at Hitchin on its way to Moorgate via Hertford North
Monday to Fridays only (starts at Stevenage and runs to London Kings Cross at weekends).
First Capital Connect Timetables for Hitchin can be seen and downloaded here.
Network Rail
has proposed to eradicate the conflicting movement by removing the flat crossing and building a flyover to carry Down trains to Cambridge over the top of the main line. Network Rail estimates the cost of the developments to be £62.6 million.
The proposal is currently being reviewed by the relevant authorities.
Hitchin
Hitchin is a town in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 30,360.-History:Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce people mentioned in a 7th century document, the Tribal Hidage. The tribal name is Brittonic rather than Old English and derives from *siccā, meaning...
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...
. It is located approximately 1 miles (1.6 km) north east of the town centre and 31 miles (49.88954 km) north of London Kings Cross on the East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
.
In August 2007 Hitchin was awarded Secure Station status after improvements to station security were made by First Capital Connect
First Capital Connect
First Capital Connect is a passenger train operating company in England that began operations on the National Rail network on 1 April 2006...
, including new lighting, extra CCTV and the installation of Automatic Ticket Gates.
History
The first section of the Great Northern RailwayGreat 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....
(GNR) - that from to a junction with the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway was formed by amalgamation in 1847. The MS&LR changed its name to the Great Central Railway in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension.-Origin:...
at Grimsby
Grimsby Town railway station
Grimsby Town railway station serves the town of Grimsby in North East Lincolnshire, England. It is currently operated by First TransPennine Express, and is also served by Northern Rail and East Midlands Trains...
- opened on 1 March 1848, but the southern section of the main line, between and , was not opened until August 1850. Hitchin was one of the original stations, opening with the line on 7 August 1850.
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 (it was extended to on 3 August 1851). The Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
(MR) opened a route from via to Hitchin on 1 February 1858, by which MR trains used the GNR to reach London.
After the opening of the Midland Railway's own line from Bedford via to London, and their terminus at 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
Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines
Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines, Or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes is a 1965 British comedy film starring Stuart Whitman and directed and co-written by Ken Annakin...
. The embankment for the line can still be walked from just north of the station, through the fields to Ickleford
Ickleford
Ickleford is a large village situated on the northern outskirts of Hitchin in North Hertfordshire in England. It lies on the west bank of the River Hiz and to the east of the main A600 road...
, though it is not a public right of way.
Facilities
There are 12 car platforms on the Up and Down Slow lines only. 17 chains (342 m) to the north of the station is Cambridge Junction, where northbound trains for Cambridge need to cross the two Up (southbound) lines.Following a recent refurbishment of the station by First Capital Connect
First Capital Connect
First Capital Connect is a passenger train operating company in England that began operations on the National Rail network on 1 April 2006...
, the station's subway was refurbished at a cost of £300k. 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 stations 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
First Capital Connect
First Capital Connect is a passenger train operating company in England that began operations on the National Rail network on 1 April 2006...
during 2007.
Services
There are four trains per hour from Hitchin to London Kings Cross southbound and a half-hourly service to CambridgeCambridge railway station
Cambridge 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...
and Peterborough
Peterborough railway station
Peterborough railway station serves the city of Peterborough, England. It is located approximately north of London Kings Cross on the East Coast Main Line...
northbound seven days a week (however, the service is only hourly to and from Peterborough on Sundays). In addition, there is an hourly service from Letchworth
Letchworth Garden City railway station
Letchworth Garden City station serves the town of Letchworth in Hertfordshire, England. The station is on the Hitchin-Cambridge Line north of London Kings Cross, and is a stop for services between Kings Cross and Cambridge...
that stops at Hitchin on its way to Moorgate via Hertford North
Hertford North railway station
Hertford North railway station is one of two stations serving the town of Hertford in Hertfordshire, England with the other being Hertford East railway station....
Monday to Fridays only (starts at Stevenage and runs to London Kings Cross at weekends).
First Capital Connect Timetables for Hitchin can be seen and downloaded here.
Proposed Junction Developments
Down trains from London to Cambridge currently have to use a ladder crossing over the up lines in order to reach the Cambridge line. This can cause significant delays to trains on both lines.Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
has proposed to eradicate the conflicting movement by removing the flat crossing and building a flyover to carry Down trains to Cambridge over the top of the main line. Network Rail estimates the cost of the developments to be £62.6 million.
The proposal is currently being reviewed by the relevant authorities.
Ticket Office Opening Times & Station Staffing Hours
Below are the current opening and staffing times for Hitchin, .| 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
External links
- Hitchin: Here we explain our plans to improve the rail links between London, Hitchin and Cambridge on Network RailNetwork RailNetwork Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
website