Potters Bar | |
|---|---|
 The main entrance of the station | |
  Potters Bar Location of Potters Bar in Hertfordshire | |
| Location | Potters Bar |
| Local authority | Borough of Hertsmere |
| Grid reference | TL249014 |
| Managed by | Great Northern |
| Station code | PBR |
| DfT category | C2 |
| Number of platforms | 4 |
| Accessible | Yes[1] |
| Fare zone | B |
| National Rail annual entry and exit | |
| 2019–20 |  2.091 million[2] |
| 2020–21 |  0.562 million[2] |
| 2021–22 | 1.417 million[2] |
| 2022–23 | 2.073 million[2] |
| 2023–24 | 2.379 million[2] |
| Railway companies | |
| Original company | Great Northern Railway |
| Pre-grouping | Great Northern Railway |
| Post-grouping | London and North Eastern Railway |
| Key dates | |
| 7 August 1850 | Opened asPotter's Bar |
| 1 May 1923 | RenamedPotter's Bar and South Mimms |
| 3 May 1971 | RenamedPotter's Bar |
| Other information | |
| External links | |
| Coordinates | 51°41′49″N0°11′38″W / 51.697°N 0.194°W /51.697; -0.194 |
 London transport portal | |
Potters Bar railway station serves the town ofPotters Bar inHertfordshire, England. It is located on theGreat Northern route, 12 miles 57 chains (20.5 km) north ofLondon King's Cross on theEast Coast Main Line.[3][4] The station is managed and served byGreat Northern,[5][6] withThameslink services also calling in the peak hours.[7]
The first section of theGreat Northern Railway (GNR) opened on 1 March 1848 inLincolnshire betweenLouth andGrimsby, where it met theManchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway. The GNR quickly expanded and soon they had finished the southern section of their main line, betweenMaiden Lane in London andPeterborough, which opened withPotter's Bar as one of the original stations on 7 August 1850.[8][9][10]
On 1 January 1923, the GNR became a constituent part of theLondon and North Eastern Railway (LNER), which was one of the "big four" railway companies.[11] The station was renamedPotter's Bar and South Mimms on 1 May that year; on 3 May 1971, it reverted to its original name ofPotter's Bar.[10]
The current station building, designed in a post-modern style, is the third on this site. It replaced a 1955 structure designed by James Wyatt of the Eastern Region Architect's Department (Chief Architect H Powell).[12]Pevsner described the 1955 station as "The first of the Eastern Region's good modern stations, the style much lighter in touch than in the stations of the 1960s (cfBroxbourne). Neat brick clerestory-lit booking hall".[13]
The platform canopies were also constructed in 1955, using what was then an innovative technique of pre-stressed concrete. As the concrete set, it unexpectedly curved up at either end of the long, thin canopies, unintentionally creating thewillow look.[14]
In September 2016, Govia Thameslink Railway released a consultation for their May 2018 timetables, following completion of theThameslink Programme.[15]
It was proposed that the local Great Northern services betweenMoorgate andWelwyn Garden City would be increased from 3 to 4 tph with theCambridge to London King's Cross services transferred to Thameslink and extended toMaidstone East viaLondon Bridge. The peak hour Welwyn Garden City to London King's Cross were also to be transferred to Thameslink and extended toSevenoaks viaCatford.
In May 2018, the local Great Northern services were increased to 4 trains per hour (tph) as planned, although they have subsequently been reduced to 2 tph due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. The Cambridge to London service was also transferred to Thameslink, but was not extended to Maidstone East as planned.[16] The service was transferred back to Great Northern in May 2023.
The Welwyn Garden City to London services were transferred to Thameslink in May 2018, as planned, and were subsequently extended to Sevenoaks in May 2022.[17]
The station has been the site of two major train crashes:
The station has a ticket office which is staffed for most of the day.[20]
The station is on two levels:
Platforms 2 & 3 are used by express services and platforms 1 & 4 are used by local services.
Govia Thameslink Railway agreed to extend London Zonal Fares to include Potters Bar by September 2015 when they won the Great Northern franchise.[22] In 2016,Transport for London indicated that Welwyn Garden City and Potters Bar are two of the top four priority stations for the extension of London Zonal Fares.[23]
The station came under Transport for London'sOyster card fare system during summer 2019.[24]
All off-peak services at Potters Bar are operated byGreat Northern, usingClass 387 andClass 717electric multiple units.
The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[25][6]
Additional services, including a number ofThameslink-operated services to and fromSevenoaks, viaLondon Blackfriars andCatford, call at the station during peak hours.[7]
| Preceding station |  National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Northern Stopping Services | ||||
| Great Northern Semi-Fast Services | ||||
| Thameslink Peak Hours Only | ||||
London Buses routes298 and313,Sullivan Buses routes 84 and 398, andUno routes 242, 243 and PB1 serve the station.[26]
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