Biggleswade railway station
Encyclopedia
Biggleswade Railway Station serves the town of Biggleswade
in Bedfordshire
, England
. The station is 41 miles (66 km) north of London Kings Cross on the East Coast Main Line
. Biggleswade is managed and served by First Capital Connect
.
Biggleswade station was originally built in 1850 for the Great Northern railway. This made Biggleswade
the first town in Bedfordshire
to have a mainline railway station. The original station consisted of two lines but was rebuilt in 1901 to allow the present 4 line arrangement to be built.
Biggleswade has two large platforms and 4 main rail lines, a pair of "up and down" slow lines used by stopping services and a pair of "up and down" fast lines used by high speed services passing through. A fifth line extends off the "up" slow line which links into the remaining sidings used by Plasmor.
The stations platforms are about to be lengthened so that they can cope with 12 car trains, which will serve the station following the completion of the Thameslink Programme
.
There are two modern Touch Screen ticket machines located in front of the booking office, and both sheltered and secure cycle storage is provided next to the station buildings. There are currently 4 helpoints located at various points in the station, including one in the main car park.
Biggleswade station does not currently have automatic ticket gates, and is unlikely to do so in the future, as with the current footbridge it is not possible.
. There is an hourly service in each direction on Sundays. There are also extra services during the peak that run fast to Biggleswade direct to/from Kings Cross.
First Capital Connect Timetables for Biggleswade can be seen and downloaded here.
Biggleswade also had a signal box but this was closed when semophore signals were replaced. The station was also used as a red star parcel office but this was closed in the mid 1980s when parcel traffic was forced to use Stevenage station.
Biggleswade
Biggleswade is a market town and civil parish located on the River Ivel in Bedfordshire, England. It is well served by transport routes, being close to the A1 road between London and the North, as well as having a railway station on the main rail link North from London .-Geography:Located about 40...
in Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
, 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...
. The station is 41 miles (66 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...
. Biggleswade is managed and served 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...
.
Biggleswade station was originally built in 1850 for the Great Northern railway. This made Biggleswade
Biggleswade
Biggleswade is a market town and civil parish located on the River Ivel in Bedfordshire, England. It is well served by transport routes, being close to the A1 road between London and the North, as well as having a railway station on the main rail link North from London .-Geography:Located about 40...
the first town in Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
to have a mainline railway station. The original station consisted of two lines but was rebuilt in 1901 to allow the present 4 line arrangement to be built.
Biggleswade has two large platforms and 4 main rail lines, a pair of "up and down" slow lines used by stopping services and a pair of "up and down" fast lines used by high speed services passing through. A fifth line extends off the "up" slow line which links into the remaining sidings used by Plasmor.
The stations platforms are about to be lengthened so that they can cope with 12 car trains, which will serve the station following the completion of the Thameslink Programme
Thameslink Programme
The Thameslink Programme, originally Thameslink 2000, is a £6 billion project in south-east England to upgrade and expand the Thameslink rail network to provide new and longer trains between a wider range of stations to the north and to the south of London without requiring passengers to change...
.
Facilities
Following a recent £60,000 refurbishment by First Capital Connect the station now has two waiting rooms and two sets of toilets on Platforms 1/2, and also a small cafe at the bottom of the stairs. Platforms 3/4 currently only have a small shelter. The station has another small cafe in the old station buildings and a ticket office.There are two modern Touch Screen ticket machines located in front of the booking office, and both sheltered and secure cycle storage is provided next to the station buildings. There are currently 4 helpoints located at various points in the station, including one in the main car park.
Biggleswade station does not currently have automatic ticket gates, and is unlikely to do so in the future, as with the current footbridge it is not possible.
Services
Biggleswade station is served by a half-hourly service southbound to London Kings Cross and northbound to PeterboroughPeterborough 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...
. There is an hourly service in each direction on Sundays. There are also extra services during the peak that run fast to Biggleswade direct to/from Kings Cross.
First Capital Connect Timetables for Biggleswade can be seen and downloaded here.
History
Biggleswade station was once a busy goods yard with several sidings used for loading trains of market produce to be taken to London markets. The decline of this led to a reduction in the use of the station, and it is now used solely for passenger traffic. Plasmor bricks own the site where the former goods depot was sited, and these lines into the sidings are still active with train workings of breeze block bricks brought down from Heck to Biggleswade, where they are then unloaded onto lorries for distribution. The goods depot was demolished but the old weighbridge & office remain on site, although out of use.Biggleswade also had a signal box but this was closed when semophore signals were replaced. The station was also used as a red star parcel office but this was closed in the mid 1980s when parcel traffic was forced to use Stevenage station.
Ticket Office Opening Times & Station Staffing Hours
Below are the current opening and staffing times for Biggleswade, as of 2010.| Ticket Office Hours | ||
|---|---|---|
| Day | Opens | Closes |
| Monday to Friday | 06:20 | 14:15 |
| Saturday | 08:00 | 14:15 |
| Sunday | 08:15 | 14:15 |
| Station Staffing Hours | ||
|---|---|---|
| Day | From | Until |
| Monday to Friday | 06:05 | 14:35 |
| Saturday | 07:45 | 14:35 |
| Sunday | 08:00 | 14:35 |