Stevenage  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) The station in November 2021 looking north, with the new platform 5 on the far left | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Stevenage,Borough of Stevenage England | ||||
| Grid reference | TL234241 | ||||
| Owned by | Network Rail | ||||
| Managed by | Great Northern | ||||
| Platforms | 5 | ||||
| Connections | Local Buses Regional BusesLocal Taxis | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | SVG | ||||
| Classification | DfT category C1 | ||||
| History | |||||
| Opened | 23 July 1973 | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 8 August 1850 | Original station opened byGNR | ||||
| 22 July 1973 | Station closed | ||||
| 23 July 1973 | Relocated 73 chains (1.5km) south to present location and opened byBR | ||||
| 29 September 1973 | Officially opened byShirley WilliamsMP | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2019/20 |  4.634 million | ||||
| Interchange | 1.654 million | ||||
| 2020/21 | 1.228 million | ||||
| Interchange | 0.238 million | ||||
| 2021/22 |  3.385 million | ||||
| Interchange | 0.833 million | ||||
| 2022/23 | 4.050 million | ||||
| Interchange | 1.957 million | ||||
| 2023/24 | 4.272 million | ||||
| Interchange | 0.983 million | ||||
| |||||
Stevenage railway station serves the town ofStevenage inHertfordshire,England. The station is around 27.6 miles (44.4 km) north ofLondon King's Cross on theEast Coast Main Line. The station lies just to the north of Langley junction, a grade separated junction where theHertford Loop Line diverges from the East Coast Main Line; the two lines re-converge atAlexandra Palace in London's northern suburbs.[1]
Stevenage is served and managed byGovia Thameslink Railway, which operates stopping services southbound to King’s Cross,Brighton,Gatwick Airport andMoorgate; northbound services connect toCambridge andPeterborough. It is also served frequently byLondon North Eastern Railway, which operates non-stopping services southbound to King's Cross and northbound toYork,Leeds andEdinburgh Waverley.Hull Trains andLumo operate very limited services from the station.
The present station, built byBritish Rail, was opened for services on 23 July 1973.[2] It was officially opened on 26 September 1973 byShirley Williams, thenMP forStevenage;[nb 1] this replaced the previous station which was sited 73 chains (1,500 m) to the north and further away from the centre of the new town.[1]
The original Stevenage railway station was built in 1850 by theGreat Northern Railway, despite the apparent hostility towards the railway being built there at that time due to the inevitable decline it would cause to local coach businesses,[3] which all ended shortly after the station was opened.
In 1946, Stevenage became one of the firstNew Towns, which resulted in a new town centre. In 1973, the station was relocated 73chains (1.47 km) south, within walking distance (220 yd, 200 m) of the new town centre. As built, the new station had twoisland platforms, serving four through tracks.[4]
In December 2013, the previous train operator, First Capital Connect, started refurbishing the station completely, introducing passenger lifts between platform and street level, and refurbishing the concourse area with retail units. The works were due to be completed by April 2014, but were delayed. After Great Northern took over the franchise in September 2014, these works were completed.
Until May 2018, most weekday trains from London on the Hertford Loop Line ran through to Letchworth, as the layout gave insufficient capacity to accommodate terminating trains at Stevenage. However, in 2018, all the loop line services were cut back to start/terminate at Stevenage. To help alleviate the capacity problem, an additional south-facing terminal platform was built, similar to the arrangement atWelwyn Garden City, which allows loop line services to start and terminate there. Platform 5 was officially opened on 3 August 2020.[5]
In 2021, a tactile map was installed, in collaboration with theRoyal National Institute of Blind People, to help blind and partially sighted passengers navigate the station.[6]
The station has five platform tracks, which are at ground level. The westernmost track (platform 5) is a terminal track for trains to and from London via the Hertford Loop Line, and is served by aside platform. The remaining four through tracks are served by twoisland platforms. On this stretch of line the tracks are paired by direction, so each island platform serves trains going in one direction, with platform 1&2 serving southbound trains and platform 3&4 serving northbound trains.[7]
The platforms are accessed by stairs and lifts from the station concourse, which spans above the tracks. There are station entrances on both sides of the station, which have stairs, lifts and ramps to the concourse. At concourse level are separate ticket offices for Great Northern and London North Eastern Railway[citation needed], as well as ticket machines. Toilets are also provided at this level, but not on the platforms. All three platforms have indoor waiting rooms, along with outdoor seating along the length of the platforms. There are coffee bars on each of the two island platforms.[7][8]
There are two sets of automated ticket barriers. One, on the concourse level, gives access to the two island platforms (platform numbers 1 to 4), whilst the other, at platform level, gives access to platform 5. Interchange between platform 5 and any of the other platforms requires the passenger to pass through both barrier lines. The station is a short walk on a walkway fromStevenage Bus Interchange and is opposite a leisure complex that includes theGordon Craig Theatre.[8]
Services at Stevenage are provided by fourtrain operating companies:
Govia Thameslink Railway operates trains here under two sub-brands:
Great Northern serves Stevenage with a half-hourly service toMoorgate, which calls at all stations via theHertford Loop Line. These services start and finish at Stevenage using platform 5.[9] These services are operated usingClass 717electric multiple units.
It also operates an hourly fast service during weekday peak hours between London King's Cross andPeterborough. Southbound, this service runs non-stop to London King's Cross and northbound, calls only atBiggleswade,St Neots andHuntingdon.[9] These services are operated usingClass 387 electric multiple units.
Most services at Stevenage are operated by Thameslink, usingClass 700 electric multiple units.
The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[10]
On Sundays, the services between Brighton and Cambridge are reduced to hourly, with no service to Horsham.
London North Eastern Railway generally serves Stevenage with two trains per hour in each direction during the day. There is an hourly service between London King's Cross andLeeds, with a train every two hours continuing toHarrogate. There is also an hourly service from King's Cross, alternating northbound between terminating atLincoln orYork, viaRetford.[11]
During peak hours, a small number of services to Leeds are extended to and fromBradford Forster Square.
There are also a small number of early morning and late evening services to and fromNewcastle andEdinburgh Waverley.
Services are operated usingClass 800bi-mode trains,Class 801 electric multiple units andInterCity 225electric locomotive-hauled sets.
Hull Trains: Beverley & Hull to London | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Hull Trains operates a limited service on Sunday afternoons only. The station is served by one northbound service toHull and two southbound services to London King's Cross.[12] Services are operated usingClass 802 bi-mode trains.
Lumo operates two northbound services to Edinburgh Waverley and three southbound services to London King's Cross.[13] Services are operated usingClass 803 electric multiple units.
| Preceding station |  National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London King's Cross | London North Eastern Railway | Peterborough or Grantham | ||
| Hull Trains East Coast Main Line Limited Service | Grantham | |||
| Lumo | Newcastle | |||
| Great Northern Peak Hours Only | ||||
| Great Northern | Terminus | |||
| Great Northern | ||||
| Thameslink | ||||
Media related toStevenage railway station at Wikimedia Commons
