Hertford East railway station is the northern terminus of the Hertford East branch line off the West Anglia Main Line in the east of England, and is located in the town of Hertford in Hertfordshire. It is 24 miles 19 chains (39.0 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is one of two stations in the town, the other being Hertford North on the Hertford Loop Line. Its three-letter station code is HFE.
Hertford East  | |
|---|---|
 The main entrance to the station | |
  Hertford East Location of Hertford East in Hertfordshire | |
| Location | Hertford |
| Local authority | District of East Hertfordshire |
| Grid reference | TL330129 |
| Managed by | Greater Anglia |
| Station code(s) | HFE |
| DfT category | E |
| Number of platforms | 2 |
| Accessible | Yes[1] |
| Fare zone | B |
| National Rail annual entry and exit | |
| 2019–20 |  1.286 million[2] |
| 2020–21 | 0.243 million[2] |
| 2021–22 |  0.674 million[2] |
| 2022–23 | 0.901 million[2] |
| 2023–24 | 1.011 million[2] |
| Railway companies | |
| Original company | Great Eastern Railway |
| Pre-grouping | Great Eastern Railway |
| Post-grouping | London and North Eastern Railway |
| Key dates | |
| 31 October 1843 | first station opened |
| 27 February 1888 | present station opened as Hertford |
| 1 July 1923 | Renamed Hertford East |
| Other information | |
| External links | |
| Coordinates | 51°47′56″N 0°04′23″W / 51.799°N 0.073°W |
 London transport portal | |
The station and all trains calling are operated by Greater Anglia.
There are two platforms, although platform number one is generally only used during peak times, during times of disruption and primarily for trains to and from Stratford station.
History
edit
The first station opened on 31 October 1843 sited to the east of the present station. The current station, designed by W. N. Ashbee, was opened by the Great Eastern Railway on 27 February 1888, replacing the first station. The station was listed in 1974 as a Grade II listed building;[3] in 1996 the buffer stop lights on platform 1 were separately listed in their own right.[4]
The Grade II listed signal box at the station was dismantled in October 2021 to allow for platform extensions. It will be relocated to the Wensleydale Railway.[5]
Services
edit
All services at Hertford East are operated by Greater Anglia using Class 720 EMUs.
The typical off-peak service is two trains per hour to and from London Liverpool Street via Tottenham Hale which start and terminate at Hertford East. Additional services, including trains to and from Stratford run to and from the station during the peak hours.[6]
On Sundays, services run to and from Stratford instead of London Liverpool Street.
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Anglia | Terminus | |||
Proposed developments
editSome options of the proposed East West Rail involve reopening a route between Hertford East railway station and Hertford North railway station; however a 2009 discussion paper noted that while "the new connection appears technically feasible, doubts must be cast over its public acceptability and deliverability".[7]
In popular culture
editHertford East doubles as Yeovil Railway Station in the 1960 film School for Scoundrels, seen in the opening titles and closing credits.[8]
The station features in a number of different channel branding films (called 'Idents' in the television industry) for the ITV channels in the UK. Different, but similar idents have been created for each five of ITV's channels.
References
edit- ^ "Hertford East (HFE)". National Rail Enquiries. Archived from the original on 23 August 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "Estimates of station usage". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
- ^ "Hertford East Station". British Listed Buildings Online. English Heritage.
- ^ "Buffer Lights On Platform 1 at Hertford East Station". British Listed Buildings Online. English Heritage.
- ^ Smith, Roger (26 October 2021). "Old Hertfordshire signal box being dismantled to make way for new longer trains". RailAdvent. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ^ Table 22 National Rail timetable, June 2024
- ^ "East West Rail Central Section - Operating Case Discussion Paper" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
- ^ "Site showing shooting locations for the 1960 film 'School for Scoundrels'".
External links
edit
- Train times and station information for Hertford East railway station from National Rail