The present station was opened for trains on 23 July 1973.[2] It was officially opened on 26 September 1973 by Shirley Williams,[3] then MP for Stevenage, replacing the previous station, which was 73 chains (1,500 m) to the north,[1] and further away from the centre of the new town. The station was built by British Rail.
History
The original Stevenage railway station was built in 1850 by the Great 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,[4] which all ended shortly after the station was opened.
In 1946, Stevenage became one of the first New Towns, which resulted in a new town centre. In 1973, the railway station was relocated 73 chains (1.47 km) south, within walking distance (220 yd, 200 m) of the new town centre.[5]
In 2021, a tactile map was installed, in collaboration with the Royal National Institute of Blind People, to help blind and partially sighted passengers navigate the station.[6]
Facilities
The station has two separate ticket offices (Great Northern and London North Eastern Railway), but in practice, each also sells the other's tickets. There are also seven ticket machines. There are toilets at street level (but not on the platforms) and lifts from the station building to both platforms.
Southbound view of the station from Platform 2 in January 2015, before the construction of platform 5
The station also has automatic ticket barriers, which were installed by First Capital Connect (the previous train operator) shortly after it took over the route, as a revenue protection exercise, and to improve security at the station. There is a snack bar, at street level, and two coffee bars at platform level, with one per platform. The newsagent previously at street level closed in March 2014, pending the redevelopment of the station which has since been completed.
Since 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 plus retail units. The works were due to be completed by April 2014, but were delayed. Since Great Northern took over the franchise in September 2014, these works have been completed.
Both island platforms have indoor waiting rooms that were refurbished in May 2012 as part of a wider scheme to refurbish and add waiting rooms across the Great Northern Route, and there is also outdoor seating along the length of the platforms.
The station is a short walk on a walkway from Stevenage Bus Station and is opposite a leisure complex that includes the Gordon Craig Theatre.
Great Northern serve Stevenage with a half-hourly service to Moorgate which calls at all stations via the Hertford Loop Line. These services start and finish at Stevenage using Platform 5 at the station, which opened in 2020.[7] These services are operated using Class 717EMUs.
Great Northern also operate an hourly fast service during the weekday peak hours between London King's Cross and Peterborough. Southbound, this service runs non-stop to London King's Cross and northbound, calls only at Biggleswade, St Neots and Huntingdon.[8] These services are operated using Class 387EMUs.
London North Eastern Railway generally serve Stevenage with two trains per hour in each direction during the day. The station is served by an hourly service between London King's Cross and Leeds, with a train every two hours continuing to Harrogate. The station is also served by an hourly service from London King's Cross, alternating northbound between terminating at Lincoln or York via Retford.[9]
During the peak hours, a small number of the services to Leeds are extended to and from Bradford Forster Square.
The station is also served by a small number of early morning and late evening services to and from Newcastle and Edinburgh Waverley.
Until May 2018 most weekday trains on the Hertford Loop Line were extended to Letchworth,[15] as there was insufficient capacity to accommodate terminating trains at Stevenage. However, in 2018, Govia Thameslink Railway cut back all services to start/terminate at Stevenage. To help alleviate the capacity problem, an additional south-facing bay platform was built at Stevenage, similar to the arrangement at Welwyn Garden City, which allows Hertford loop line services to start and terminate here. It was officially opened on 3 August 2020.[16]
See also
Nala, a cat who is popular with commuters and known to sit on the ticket barriers at the station
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