Hatfield railway station
Encyclopedia
Hatfield railway station serves the town of Hatfield
in Hertfordshire
, England
. The station is managed by First Capital Connect
.It is located approximately 18 miles (29 km) north of London Kings Cross on the East Coast Main Line
.
. It was also the junction of a second railway that ran to St Albans Abbey
. The former was closed in 1965 under the Beeching Axe
, whilst the latter succumbed some 14 years earlier (in 1951) as part of post-war economies brought in by the British Transport Commission
. The route of the St Albans Abbey line is now a public footpath, the Alban Way
, while the closure of the Dunstable Town line has left Dunstable
as one of the largest towns in England without a direct rail connection.
The station has a "Fast-Ticket" machine, as well as a standard touchscreen
machine on either side of the building. Hatfield also has many vending machines throughout the station and a photo booth inside the entrance, which also contains toilets for both genders, and a separate disabled toilet.
Northbound there is a half-hourly service to Stevenage
and hourly to Cambridge
and Peterborough
respectively. There is also a stopping service to Welwyn Garden City
.
First Capital Connect Timetables for Hatfield can be seen and downloaded here.
Hatfield, Hertfordshire
Hatfield is a town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England in the borough of Welwyn Hatfield. It has a population of 29,616, and is of Saxon origin. Hatfield House, the home of the Marquess of Salisbury, is the nucleus of the old town...
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...
. The station is managed 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...
.It is located approximately 18 miles (29 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...
.
History
Hatfield was the junction for a now closed branch line to Dunstable TownDunstable Town railway station
Dunstable Town railway station 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.-History:...
. It was also the junction of a second railway that ran to St Albans Abbey
St Albans Abbey railway station
St Albans Abbey railway station serves the city of St Albans, in Hertfordshire, England, being situated about 1 km south of the city centre in the St Stephen's area of the city. It is the terminus of the Abbey Line from Watford Junction, which is part of the London Midland franchise...
. The former was closed 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...
, whilst the latter succumbed some 14 years earlier (in 1951) as part of post-war economies brought in by the British Transport Commission
British Transport Commission
The British Transport Commission was created by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain...
. The route of the St Albans Abbey line is now a public footpath, the Alban Way
Alban Way
The Alban Way is a cycle path in Hertfordshire, England that has been constructed along the route of the former Hatfield to St Albans railway line. It runs from St Albans, close to St Albans Abbey railway station and the site of Roman Verulamium, through Fleetville and Smallford to Hatfield, ending...
, while the closure of the Dunstable Town line has left 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...
as one of the largest towns in England without a direct rail connection.
Facilities
Hatfield has basic waiting rooms on both platforms, with extra shelters provided further along the platforms too, as well as a canopy on Platform 1.In front of the station entrance is "The Steam Inn", a small café-shop style business.The station has a "Fast-Ticket" machine, as well as a standard touchscreen
Touchscreen
A touchscreen is an electronic visual display that can detect the presence and location of a touch within the display area. The term generally refers to touching the display of the device with a finger or hand. Touchscreens can also sense other passive objects, such as a stylus...
machine on either side of the building. Hatfield also has many vending machines throughout the station and a photo booth inside the entrance, which also contains toilets for both genders, and a separate disabled toilet.
Services
During the daytime there is generally a half-hourly fast service to London Kings Cross southbound and also every 20 minutes a stopping service to Moorgate Monday to Fridays and half-hourly on weekends to Kings Cross.Northbound there is a half-hourly service to Stevenage
Stevenage railway station
Stevenage railway station serves the town of Stevenage in Hertfordshire, England. The station is 27¼ miles north of London Kings Cross on the East Coast Main Line. Stevenage is managed and served by First Capital Connect...
and hourly to Cambridge
Cambridge 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...
respectively. There is also a stopping service to Welwyn Garden City
Welwyn Garden City railway station
Welwyn Garden City railway station serves the town of Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire, England. The station is approximately north of London Kings Cross on the East Coast Main Line. Welwyn Garden City station is managed and served by First Capital Connect.-History:A station named Welwyn...
.
First Capital Connect Timetables for Hatfield can be seen and downloaded here.
Accidents
Two fatal rail crashes have occurred near Hatfield:- December 1870 accidentHatfield rail crash (1870)On a frosty Boxing day in 1870 the driver of the 16:25 from London King's Cross to Peterborough noticed an 'uneasy oscillation' as he passed over Marshmoor level crossing, 2 miles south of Hatfield station. He peered back and discovered he had lost his train and pulled up. He reversed back,...
, when a disintegrated wheel resulted in the deaths of six passengers and two bystanders. - October 2000 accidentHatfield rail crashThe Hatfield rail crash was a railway accident on 17 October 2000, at Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK. Although the accident killed fewer than other accidents, Hatfield exposed the major stewardship shortcomings of the privatised national railway infrastructure company Railtrack and the failings of...
, when a GNER InterCity 225InterCity 225The InterCity 225 is a locomotive-hauled domestic train in the United Kingdom, comprising a Class 91 electric locomotive, nine Mark 4 coaches and a Driving Van Trailer...
train de-railed, killing four people and injuring 70.
Ticket Office Opening Times & Station Staffing Hours
Below are the current opening and staffing times for Hatfield, .| Ticket Office Hours | ||
|---|---|---|
| Day | Opens | Closes |
| Monday to Saturday | 06:20 | 20:00 |
| Sunday | 08:20 | 19:30 |
| Station Staffing Hours | ||
|---|---|---|
| Day | From | Until |
| Monday to Saturday | 06:00 | 20:20 |
| Sunday | 08:00 | 19:50 |