General information | |||||
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Location | Bishop's Stortford, District of East Hertfordshire England | ||||
Coordinates | 51°52′01″N0°09′54″E / 51.867°N 0.165°E | ||||
Grid reference | TL491208 | ||||
Managed by | Greater Anglia | ||||
Platforms | 3 | ||||
Other information | |||||
Station code | BIS | ||||
Classification | DfT category C2 | ||||
History | |||||
Original company | Northern and Eastern Railway | ||||
Pre-grouping | Great Eastern Railway | ||||
Post-grouping | London and North Eastern Railway | ||||
Key dates | |||||
16 May 1842 | Station opened | ||||
Passengers | |||||
2018/19 | 3.260 million | ||||
Interchange | 92,647 | ||||
2019/20 | 3.074 million | ||||
Interchange | 79,433 | ||||
2020/21 | 0.712 million | ||||
Interchange | 9,698 | ||||
2021/22 | 2.004 million | ||||
Interchange | 34,895 | ||||
2022/23 | 2.363 million | ||||
Interchange | 71,988 | ||||
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Bishop's Stortford railway station is on the West Anglia Main Line serving the town of Bishop's Stortford in Hertfordshire,England. It is 30 miles 27 chains (48.8 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Sawbridgeworth and Stansted Mountfitchet stations. Its three-letter station code is BIS.
The station and all trains serving it are operated by Greater Anglia,including the half-hourly Stansted Express service.
The station was opened by the Northern and Eastern Railway as a temporary terminus on 16 May 1842,and became a through station on 30 July 1845 when the line was extended through to Norwich.
In 1843 the train from London to Bishop's Stortford was timetabled to run at 36 miles per hour (58 km/h),exclusive of stops - the fastest booked run on any English railway at the time. [1]
The station site included a large goods yard occupying the land now used for car parking as well as sidings running as far west as the riverside wharves of the Stort Navigation. To the east,a small turntable and engine sheds lay on land recently used as a garage and (as of 2012) earmarked for supermarket use. During the station's heyday,the station had two signal boxes,"South",located opposite the current building and behind platform 3,and "North",controlling access to the Bishop's Stortford–Braintree branch line.
For most of the station's life,four lines passed through it (as opposed to the current three lines);up and down main lines to the west of the now much extended island platform,and a branch line and passing loop (with access to turntable) to the east of the island platform,the northern end of which was located where the footbridge is today.
Bishop's Stortford was also a junction station for the cross-country route to Dunmow and Braintree,which opened to passengers on 22 February 1869 and closed on 3 March 1952. The line continued in use for freight trains and occasional excursions,closing in stages with the final section to Easton Lodge closing on 17 February 1972. [2]
The station was the scene of a fatal crash on the last full day of the General Strike of 1926 when a southbound goods train operated by a volunteer crew crashed into the rear of an earlier train sitting in platform two. The platform canopy was demolished and a waiting passenger killed. [3]
The typical off-peak service is: [4]
On Sundays this is reduced to:
On Mondays to Fridays a small number of trains during the peak hours are extended beyond Cambridge to terminate at Ely. At other times it is necessary to change at Cambridge for onward travel using services provided by CrossCountry,East Midlands Railway or Great Northern,Great Northern services also serve King's Lynn.
The station has three platforms. Platform 1 is for services towards Stansted Airport and Cambridge. Platform 2 is used for services to London Liverpool Street and Stratford. Platform 3 is used for some trains that terminate at Bishops Stortford. It is also used by a few services to/from Cambridge via Stansted Airport which only start/terminate here. In the days before 1985,when Bishop's Stortford was the northern limit of electrification,it was used for slow trains to London Liverpool Street and to Cambridge;therefore,platform 2 was used for fast trains. The station has two entrances. One from Station Road where there is ticket hall,waiting room and real time information. The other entrance is for direct access to Platforms 2 and 3. Ticket barriers have been installed at the station to prevent fare evasion. In 2014 the station underwent extensive modernization resulting in the construction of a new ticket office,barrier line,retail outlets and a new platform canopy. [5]
Bishop's Stortford is a historic market town in the London commuter belt. Located in Hertfordshire near the border with Essex,just west of the M11 motorway and Stansted Airport,it is 22 miles north-east of Central London and 34 minutes away by rail from Liverpool Street station. The town had an estimated population of 41,088 in 2020. The district of East Hertfordshire,where the town centre is located,has been ranked as the best place to live in the UK by the Halifax Quality of Life annual survey in 2020. The town is commonly known as Stortford by locals.
Uttlesford is a local government district in Essex,England. Its council is based in the town of Saffron Walden. The district also includes the town of Great Dunmow and numerous villages,including Stansted Mountfitchet,Takeley,Elsenham,Thaxted,and Newport. The district covers a largely rural area in the north-west of Essex. London Stansted Airport lies within the district.
The Northern &Eastern Railway (N&ER) was an early British railway company,that planned to build a line from London to York. Its ambition was cut successively back,and it was only constructed from Stratford,east of London,to the towns of Bishop's Stortford and Hertford. It was always short of money,and it got access to London over the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR). It was built at the track gauge of 5 ft,but it converted to standard gauge in 1844.
Tottenham Hale is an interchange station located in Tottenham Hale,North London for London Underground and National Rail services.
The Lea Valley lines are two commuter lines and two branches in north-east London,so named because they run along the Lower Lea Valley of the River Lea. They were part of the Great Eastern Railway,now part of the Anglia Route of Network Rail.
Broxbourne railway station is on the West Anglia Main Line serving the towns of Broxbourne and Hoddesdon in Hertfordshire,England. It is 17 miles 17 chains (27.7 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Cheshunt and Roydon. Its three-letter station code is BXB and it is in fare zone B.
Cheshunt is a National Rail and London Overground station in Cheshunt,Hertfordshire,England. On the National Rail network it is on the West Anglia Main Line,14 miles 1 chain (22.6 km) from London Liverpool Street and situated between Waltham Cross and Broxbourne. On the London Overground network it is one of three northern termini of the Lea Valley lines.
The West Anglia Main Line is one of the two main line railways that operate out of Liverpool Street. It runs generally north through Cheshunt,Broxbourne,Harlow,Bishop's Stortford and Audley End to Cambridge,with branches between serving Stratford,Hertford and Stansted Airport. The line runs along the boundary between Hertfordshire and Essex for much of its length.
Whittlesford Parkway railway station is on the West Anglia Main Line serving the village of Whittlesford in Cambridgeshire,England. It is 49 miles 1 chain (78.9 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Great Chesterford and Shelford stations. Its three-letter station code is WLF.
Audley End railway station is on the West Anglia Main Line serving the village of Wendens Ambo and the town of Saffron Walden in Essex,England. It is 41 miles 55 chains (67.1 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Newport and Great Chesterford stations. Its three-letter station code is AUD.
Newport railway station is on the West Anglia Main Line serving the village of Newport in Essex,England. It is 39 miles 72 chains (64.2 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Elsenham and Audley End stations. Its three-letter station code is NWE.
Elsenham railway station is found on the West Anglia Main Line,serving the village of Elsenham in Essex,England. It is 35 miles 45 chains (57.2 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street,and is situated between Stansted Mountfitchet and Newport stations. Its three-letter station code is ESM.
Stansted Mountfitchet railway station is on the West Anglia Main Line serving the village of Stansted Mountfitchet in Essex,England. It is 33 miles 28 chains (53.7 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Bishop's Stortford and Elsenham on the main line;Stansted Airport station follows on the airport branch. Its three-letter station code is SST.
Sawbridgeworth railway station is on the West Anglia Main Line serving the town of Sawbridgeworth in Hertfordshire,England. It is 26 miles 57 chains (43.0 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Harlow Mill and Bishop's Stortford stations. Its three-letter station code is SAW.
Harlow Mill railway station is on the West Anglia Main Line serving the eastern part of Harlow in Essex,England. It is 24 miles 36 chains (39.3 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Harlow Town and Sawbridgeworth stations. Its three-letter station code is HWM.
Harlow Town railway station is on the West Anglia Main Line serving the town of Harlow in Essex,England. It is 22 miles 59 chains (36.6 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Roydon and Harlow Mill stations. Its three-letter station code is HWN.
Roydon railway station is on the West Anglia Main Line serving the village of Roydon in Essex,England. It is 20 miles 9 chains (32.4 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Broxbourne and Harlow Town stations. Its three-letter station code is RYN.
The A120 is an A-road in England,which runs between Puckeridge in Hertfordshire and Harwich in Essex.
Elsenham is a village and civil parish in north-west Essex in eastern England. Its neighbouring settlements include Bishop's Stortford,Saffron Walden and Stansted Mountfitchet.
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Sawbridgeworth | Greater Anglia West Anglia Main Line | Stansted Mountfitchet | ||
Tottenham Hale | Greater Anglia Stansted Express | Stansted Mountfitchet | ||
Disused railways | ||||
Terminus | Great Eastern Railway Stortford–Braintree branch line | Hockerill Halt Line and station closed |