West Anglia Main Line
Encyclopedia
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
(near Saffron Walden
) station before reaching Cambridge
, with two branches serving Hertford
and Stansted Airport. The line runs along the border between Hertfordshire
and Essex
for much of its length.
Express services from Liverpool Street to Stansted Airport are operated by Stansted Express
, a sub-brand of National Express East Anglia.
Services from Stansted Airport to Cambridge (and onward to Birmingham
via Peterborough
) are operated by CrossCountry
.
The line is part of the Network Rail Strategic Route 5
, which comprises SRS 05.01 and part of 05.05. It is classified as a London and South East commuter line.
In London, the line also forms the Tottenham Hale branch of the Lea Valley Lines
.
at 25 kV AC
and has a loading gauge of W8 for most of it length except for the Stansted branch which is W6.
Passenger services on the line mostly use Class 315
s or Class 317
s and brand new Bombardier
Class 379
s. Class 170 DMU
s are used for services north from Stansted Airport (Cross Country
services only).
, published in December 2007, outlined a number of developments intended for the West Anglia route. Proposals for the period 2009-14 include the extension of remaining non-compliant platforms on the Liverpool Street-Cambridge route and at Stansted Airport to handle 12 cars; the reinstatement of 9-car trains during peak times on the Hertford East, Enfield Town, Cheshunt via Southbury and Chingford branch services, requiring a small amount of infrastructure; stabling and maintenance facilities for the larger, enhanced fleet; removal of the three level crossings between Tottenham Hale and Waltham Cross and power supply to be enhanced for some of these options and likely future requirements.
If Stansted Airport's expansion is given the go-ahead then it is planned that the Main Line will see many further changes. Long term proposals include the four-tracking
of the route between Coppermill Junction and Broxbourne junction; an additional tunnel and platform edge on the Stansted Airport branch; one additional train per hour serving Stansted and up to six further trains per hour at peak times, including four into Stratford as a terminus. More stations, such as Broxbourne
, will also see platform extensions to accommodate 12 car trains.
In early 2011, ticket barriers were placed at Stansted Airport
, Bishop's Stortford
, Harlow Town
and Tottenham Hale
, some of the busiest stations on the line. This was done to eliminate the need for ticket inspectors on the Stansted Express
service and reduce fare-dodging.
Liverpool Street station
Liverpool 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...
, the other being the Great Eastern Main Line
Great Eastern Main Line
The Great Eastern Main Line is a 212 Kilometre major railway line of the British railway system, which connects Liverpool Street in the City of London with destinations in east London and the East of England, including Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich, Norwich and several coastal resorts such as...
. It runs generally north from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, through the towns of Cheshunt
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...
, Broxbourne
Broxbourne
Broxbourne is a commuter town in the Broxbourne borough of Hertfordshire in the East of England with a population of 13,298 in 2001.It is located 17.1 miles north north-east of Charing Cross in London and about a mile north of Wormley and south of Hoddesdon...
, Harlow
Harlow
Harlow is a new town and local government district in Essex, England. It is located in the west of the county and on the border with Hertfordshire, on the Stort Valley, The town is near the M11 motorway and forms part of the London commuter belt.The district has a current population of 78,889...
, Bishop's Stortford
Bishop's Stortford
Bishop's Stortford is a historic market town and civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire in the county of Hertfordshire in England. It is situated just west of the M11 motorway, on the county boundary with Essex and is the closest large town to London Stansted Airport and part of the...
and Audley End
Audley End railway station
Audley End railway station serves the small village of Wendens Ambo and the nearby town of Saffron Walden. The station is named after the manor of Audley End in Essex. There was formerly a platform at the east end of the station for a branch line to Saffron Walden, though this was closed in 1964...
(near Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden is a medium-sized market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. It is located north of Bishop's Stortford, south of Cambridge and approx north of London...
) station before reaching Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, with two branches serving Hertford
Hertford
Hertford is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. Forming a civil parish, the 2001 census put the population of Hertford at about 24,180. Recent estimates are that it is now around 28,000...
and Stansted Airport. The line runs along the border between 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...
and Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
for much of its length.
Service
Services from Liverpool Street to Cambridge, Hertford East and Stansted Airport are operated by National Express East Anglia.Express services from Liverpool Street to Stansted Airport are operated by Stansted Express
Stansted Express
Stansted Express is a sub-brand of National Express East Anglia. It is the direct train service linking central London to Stansted Airport, one of London's major air hubs...
, a sub-brand of National Express East Anglia.
Services from Stansted Airport to Cambridge (and onward to Birmingham
Birmingham New Street Station
Birmingham New Street is the main railway station serving Birmingham, England, located in the city centre. It is an important hub for the British railway system, being served by a number of important long-distance and cross-country lines, including the Birmingham loop of the West Coast Main Line,...
via 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...
) are operated by CrossCountry
CrossCountry
CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...
.
The line is part of the Network Rail Strategic Route 5
Network Rail Route 5 (West Anglia)
Strategic Route 5 - West Anglia is the designation given by Network Rail to a grouping of railway lines in the East of England that encompasses the West Anglia Main Line and its various branch lines...
, which comprises SRS 05.01 and part of 05.05. It is classified as a London and South East commuter line.
In London, the line also forms the Tottenham Hale branch of 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...
.
Infrastructure
The line is double track for most of its length, with small sections of single track on the Stansted branch and some four track between Hackney Downs and Liverpool Street. The line is electrifiedRailway electrification in Great Britain
Railway electrification in Great Britain started towards of the 19th century. A great range of voltages have been used in the intervening period using both overhead lines and third rails, however the most common standard for mainline services is now 25 kV AC using overhead lines and the...
at 25 kV AC
25 kV AC
The 25 kV Alternating current railway electrification system is commonly used in railways worldwide, especially for high-speed rail.-Overview:This electrification system is ideal for railways that cover long distances and/or carry heavy traffic...
and has a loading gauge of W8 for most of it length except for the Stansted branch which is W6.
Passenger services on the line mostly use Class 315
British Rail Class 315
British Rail Class 315 alternating current electric multiple units were built by BREL at York works from 1980 to 1981. They were the fifth and final variety of British Rail's then-standard 1972 design for suburban EMUs, which eventually encompassed 755 vehicles and five Classes...
s or Class 317
British Rail Class 317
The British Rail Class 317 alternating current electric multiple units were built by BREL York in two batches, from 1981-82 and 1985-87. They were the first of several classes of British Rail EMU to be based on the all-steel Mark 3 bodyshell, departing from the "PEP"-aluminium design which had...
s and brand new Bombardier
Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....
Class 379
British Rail Class 379
The Class 379 Electrostar is a British electric multiple-unit train type ordered in April 2009 for Stansted Express services operated by National Express East Anglia . The trains will also be used on services between , and...
s. Class 170 DMU
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
s are used for services north from Stansted Airport (Cross Country
CrossCountry
CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...
services only).
Future developments
The Greater Anglia RUSNetwork Rail Greater Anglia Route Utilisation Strategy
The Greater Anglia Route Utilisation Strategy is a Route Utilisation Strategy published by Network Rail in December 2007. It was the sixth RUS to be produced. The area covered includes the whole of Route 5 West Anglia and Route 7 Great Eastern , which both focus for passenger purposes on London...
, published in December 2007, outlined a number of developments intended for the West Anglia route. Proposals for the period 2009-14 include the extension of remaining non-compliant platforms on the Liverpool Street-Cambridge route and at Stansted Airport to handle 12 cars; the reinstatement of 9-car trains during peak times on the Hertford East, Enfield Town, Cheshunt via Southbury and Chingford branch services, requiring a small amount of infrastructure; stabling and maintenance facilities for the larger, enhanced fleet; removal of the three level crossings between Tottenham Hale and Waltham Cross and power supply to be enhanced for some of these options and likely future requirements.
If Stansted Airport's expansion is given the go-ahead then it is planned that the Main Line will see many further changes. Long term proposals include the four-tracking
Quadruple track
Quadruple track railway consists of four parallel tracks. On a quad-track line, two tracks are used in each direction. It is also sometimes called four-track railway....
of the route between Coppermill Junction and Broxbourne junction; an additional tunnel and platform edge on the Stansted Airport branch; one additional train per hour serving Stansted and up to six further trains per hour at peak times, including four into Stratford as a terminus. More stations, such as Broxbourne
Broxbourne railway station
Broxbourne railway station, opened in 1840, serves Broxbourne in Hertfordshire, England. It is on the West Anglia Main Line, and train services are provided by National Express East Anglia, who also manage the station.-History:...
, will also see platform extensions to accommodate 12 car trains.
In early 2011, ticket barriers were placed at Stansted Airport
Stansted Airport railway station
Stansted 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...
, Bishop's Stortford
Bishop's Stortford railway station
Bishop's Stortford railway station serves the town of Bishop's Stortford in Hertfordshire, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by National Express East Anglia; this includes the 2 or 3tph Stansted Express service.-History:...
, Harlow Town
Harlow Town railway station
Harlow Town railway station serves the town of Harlow in Essex, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by National Express East Anglia.-History:...
and 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...
, some of the busiest stations on the line. This was done to eliminate the need for ticket inspectors on the Stansted Express
Stansted Express
Stansted Express is a sub-brand of National Express East Anglia. It is the direct train service linking central London to Stansted Airport, one of London's major air hubs...
service and reduce fare-dodging.