Station code HAT DfT category C2 Opened 7 August 1850 | Grid reference TL232087 Managed by Great Northern 2011/12 2.094 million Number of platforms 3 | |
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Address Hatfield AL9 5AB, United Kingdom Similar Potters Bar railway station, Welwyn North railway st, Knebworth railway station, The Galleria - Hatfield, Welwyn Garden City railw | ||
Hatfield railway station serves the town of Hatfield in Hertfordshire, England. The station is managed by Great Northern. It is located approximately 18 miles (29 km) north of London Kings Cross on the East Coast Main Line.
Contents
History
Hatfield was the junction for a now-closed branch line to Dunstable Town. 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, and the latter succumbed some 14 years earlier (in 1951) as part of postwar 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.
Facilities
Hatfield has waiting rooms on all platforms, with extra shelters provided at various points along the platforms, as well as a canopy on Platform 1. There is a small café-shop style business, "Chuggs" on Platform 1, and three new retail units which opened in the new station building. There are three platform faces in total - platform 1 is a side platform facing the Up Slow line & used by London-bound trains (there is no platform on the Up Fast line), whilst platforms 2 & 3 face the Down Fast and Down Slow lies respectively; the latter is used by the majority of northbound trains.
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 booking hall, which also contains toilets for both genders and a separate disabled toilet. Ticket barriers are in operation.
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.
Northbound there is an hourly service to both Cambridge and Peterborough, leaving at an alternate half hourly frequency. There is also a stopping service to Welwyn Garden City on the same pattern as that to Moorgate (every 20 minutes weekdays, half-hourly evenings & weekends).
The station is also served by various buses operated by Arriva, Centrebus and Uno (bus company).
Redevelopment
Hatfield Station was recently redeveloped to include a new bus interchange and taxi rank, multi-storey car park, refurbished ticket office, three new retail units and step-free access to all platforms.
Work on the project, which is to cost £9 million, began in 2013 and was completed by the end of 2015.
The new multi-storey car park opened on 17 November 2014
Accidents
Three fatal rail crashes have occurred near Hatfield: