St Albans Abbey railway station in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England is about 0.6 miles (1 km) south of the city centre in the St Stephen's area. It is the terminus of the Abbey Line from Watford Junction, operated by London Northwestern Railway. It is one of two stations in St Albans, the other being the much larger and busier St Albans City.

St Albans Abbey
General information
Location	St Albans, St Albans England
Coordinates	51.7447°N 0.3426°W / 51.7447; -0.3426
Grid reference	TL145063
Managed by	London Northwestern Railway
Platforms	1
Other information
Station code	SAA
Classification	DfT category F1
History
Original company	London and North Western Railway[1]
Post-grouping	LMS
Key dates
5 May 1858	Opened as St Albans[1]
2 June 1924	Renamed as St Albans Abbey[1]
Passengers
2016/17	0.165 million
2017/18	0.169 million
2018/19	0.167 million
2019/20	0.161 million
2020/21	21,866
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

The unstaffed station consists of a single open-air platform and a car park. Improvement works were carried out in 2008.

It was the second UK railway station to receive a Harrington Hump to improve accessibility.[2]

History

v t e Railway stations in St Albans
Legend
Midland Main Line to The North St Albans City St Albans Abbey St Albans (London Road) Park Street Sanders Siding Abbey line to Watford Junction Salvation Army Halt Hertfordshire County Mental Hospital Hill End Hatfield to St Albans Line Midland Main Line to London St Pancras

St Albans Abbey was the first railway station in St Albans, built by the London and North Western Railway in 1858. It was, as it is now, a terminus; the company's plans to extend northwards to Luton and Dunstable never materialised. Although the Midland Railway opened their station (St Albans City) in 1868, it was not until 1924 that "Abbey" was added to the station's title to avoid confusion – by this stage, both stations were owned by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.

Until November 2007 responsibility for the branch line was with Silverlink.

Restoration of the passing loop at Bricket Wood was being considered by the local authorities and Network Rail but was turned down in early 2008; this would have facilitated trains running every 30 minutes. The passing loop proposal was being reconsidered in 2020 as part of the UK government’s £500-million 'Restoring Your Railway Fund' to re-open many of the lines and stations that were closed in the 1960s.[3]

Branch to Hatfield

In 1865, the Great Northern Railway supported a group of local landowners to open a branch line from Hatfield to St Albans Abbey with an intermediate stop at St Albans London Road, and later at Smallford (1866), Salvation Army Halt (1897), Hill End (1899), Nast Hyde Halt (1910) and Lemsford Road Halt (1942). This line closed to passengers in 1951.[4] Goods services were withdrawn from the end of 1968[5] and the track was lifted. In the mid-1980s, the route was opened as a cycle path, now the Alban Way. The remains of the branch can be seen to the left of the single platform when looking down the line in the direction of Watford Junction, including overgrown remnants of the second platform which would have served the branch.

Station masters

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (March 2020)

Accidents and incidents

• On 10 February 1988, a diesel multiple unit overran the buffer stop. There were no injuries amongst the seventeen passengers on board.[12]

Services

Trains operate to Watford Junction every 45 minutes Monday to Saturday daytime, every 60 minutes weekday evenings and on Sundays. Following the timetable change on 12 December 2021, there will be a single evening service to St Albans Abbey from London Euston, but no return service.[13]

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Park Street		London Northwestern Railway Abbey Line		Terminus
	Disused railways
Terminus		Great Northern Railway Hatfield and St Albans Railway		St Albans (London Road) Line and station closed

Notes and references

Sources

• Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
• Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC 22311137.
• Abbeyline.org.uk
• The Alban Way

External links

• Train times and station information for St Albans Abbey railway station from National Rail