Place Elsenham Station code ESM DfT category E Number of platforms 2 | Grid reference TL533270 Managed by Abellio Greater Anglia 2011/12 0.176 million | |
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Address Elsenham, Bishop's Stortford CM22 6LX, United Kingdom Similar Sawbridgeworth railway station, Great Chesterford railway st, Newport (Essex) railway st, Roydon railway station, Harlow Town railway st | ||
Elsenham railway station serves the village of Elsenham in Essex, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Abellio Greater Anglia. The ticket office (on the southbound platform) is staffed part-time, there are self-service ticket machines on each of the platforms (which are 'staggered', the northbound being north of the level crossing and the southbound being south of the level crossing) and a Permit to Travel machine is also available on the southbound platform. Electronic real-time 'Next Train' indicators are available on both platforms.
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The station is 35 miles (56 km) north of London Liverpool Street on the West Anglia Main Line to Cambridge. It was opened in 1845 and retains its original layout with staggered platforms on either side of a road level crossing. From 1913 to 1952 it was the junction for the Elsenham & Thaxted Light Railway.
Elsenham accidents
On 3 December 2005, a high-speed train struck and killed two teenage girls on the station pedestrian crossing, next to the manually operated road level crossing, between the staggered platforms. Although flashing red lights and a klaxon sound indicated that a train was approaching, it is likely that they thought these applied to the train they wanted to catch to Cambridge, which was just pulling in to the opposite platform. The curvature of the line gives only 3 seconds visibility of an approaching non-stop train. A previous fatality of the same type had occurred in 1989.
Previous risk assessments carried out by Network Rail in 2002 had identified potential dangers with the crossing and recommended the installation of gates that would lock automatically as trains approached, but this was not acted upon. In 2012 Network Rail was prosecuted for breaching health and safety law and fined £1 million for the accident.
Since the accident, Network Rail responded to requests from the girls' families and erected a footbridge and installed locking gates at the foot crossing in August 2007. The accident led to a complete review by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch of all pedestrian level crossings at stations.
Service
There is an hourly service every day in each direction going towards Cambridge, northbound and London Liverpool Street southbound.
At peak times, the service increases in both directions.