List of Great Northern route stations

Last updated

Great Northern route stations
King's Cross Western Concourse.jpg
Cambridge North station.jpg
Welwyn North station geograph-3840034-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg
King's Lynn station entrance geograph-3723670-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg
  • 'Top left:' London King's Cross, the southern terminus of the East Coast Main Line, is the busiest and the only Grade I listed station on the route.
  • 'Top right:' Cambridge North (photographed under construction) was the most recent station to open in 2017.
  • 'Bottom left:' Welwyn North (originally Welwyn [1] ) was where the inaugural train on the route stopped for its passengers to see the Digswell Viaduct. [2]
  • 'Bottom right:' King's Lynn, the northern terminus of the Fen line, is the most northerly station on the route.

The Great Northern route [3] [4] is a suburban rail route in London and the East of England. The route consists of services on the southern end of the East Coast Main Line, which is the main railway link between the cities of London and Edinburgh, [5] as well as its associated branches, including the Cambridge line, Fen line, Hertford Loop line, and Northern City Line. [6]

Contents

The route is currently operated by Great Northern, which is one brand under the umbrella of Govia Thameslink Railway. [7] Services originating at London King's Cross operate to Peterborough, Letchworth Garden City, Cambridge, Ely, and King's Lynn, whereas services originating at Moorgate operate to Welwyn Garden City, Hertford North, Gordon Hill, and Stevenage. [8]

Statistics

Route map Great Northern route map.png
Route map

In all, there are 55 stations on the route, [6] of which London King's Cross is Grade I listed and various parts of eight stations (Biggleswade, Cambridge, Downham Market, Huntingdon, King's Lynn, Letchworth Garden City, Moorgate, and Welwyn North) are Grade II listed. This will grow to 57 when the two new stations with allocated funding, at Cambridge South and Tempsford, open to passengers.

Of the stations on the route, Govia Thameslink Railway only share eight stations (Moorgate, King's Cross, Stevenage, Peterborough, Cambridge, Cambridge North, Waterbeach and Ely) with other National Rail operators; [9] this will rise to ten once Cambridge South and Tempsford open. [10] Five stations are served by the London Underground (Moorgate, Old Street, Highbury & Islington, ondon King's Cross, and Finsbury Park), and four stations have out of station interchange capability (London King's Cross, Moorgate, Harringay, and Bowes Park). [11] Until Greater Anglia withdrew their services to King's Lynn in May 2023, all the Fen line stations were shared between the two operators, but this is no longer the case. [12]

Great Northern manage all except eight of their stations; one is managed by Network Rail (London King's Cross), one is managed by LNER (Peterborough), three are managed by Greater Anglia (Cambridge, Cambridge North, and Ely), and three are managed by London Underground (Moorgate, Old Street, and Highbury & Islington). [13] Once East West Rail opens, it will provide interchange with three stations on the route at Tempsford (construction approved [14] ), Cambridge South (under construction [15] ), and Cambridge. [16]

There are also nineteen former stations on lines that remain open as part of the route, of which four were replaced by now-open stations (Chesterton, Enfield, Maiden Lane, and Stevenage). Almost half of these closures came during the 1950s and 1960s, a period which included the Beeching cuts. The length of time these stations remained open varies greatly, from four days (Trumpington) [17] to 122 years (Stevenage). [18] :220 Various proposals for the reopening of other closed stations exist, [19] [20] but none are promoted by the Campaign for Better Transport. [21]

Stations

 Constituent line of the Great Northern route

Future stations

There are two stations that have been confirmed to have funding allocated to them: Cambridge South is under construction with an expected opening date in early 2026; [15] Tempsford was guaranteed in January 2025 to serve both the East Coast Main Line and East West Rail by Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. [46] Interest by local and campaign groups in opening new stations and reopening old stations is common; examples include in Harston and Offord. [19] [20] However, the Campaign for Better Transport does not include any projects related to the Great Northern route in its suggestions. [21]

 Constituent line of the Great Northern route

Former stations

There are nineteen stations on the route which have been closed to passengers, even though the line that they were once on remains open today. Of these, three were closed at the same time a replacement opened (Enfield, Maiden Lane, Stevenage) and one was replaced at a later date (Chesterton). Two stations have funding to be replaced in the future (Tempsford and Trumpington).

Trumpington station was the shortest-lived station on the route, closing permanently on 8 July 1922 only four days after it originally opened. [17] Stevenage was the longest-lasting at 122 years and 11 months, [18] :220 [k] but if excluding stations that have since been replaced, the longest-lasting is Harston at 111 years and 2 months. [18] :114 Eight of the former stations were closed during the 1950s and 1960s (at the height of the British Rail Modernisation Plan [47] and Beeching cuts [48] ).

 Constituent line of the Great Northern route

Notes

  1. Annual usage calculated as the sum of entries, exits, and interchanges at the station. All values to three significant figures.
  2. Only the platform building is listed. [24]
  3. Out of station interchange (OSI) with Bounds Green tube station [11]
  4. 1 2 The first Enfield railway station opened on 1 April 1871. When the Great Northern Railway extended the Hertford Loop line, they closed the station and built a new station—also called Enfield—on a different site. That station opened on 4 April 1910.
    [18] :91
  5. Out of station interchange (OSI) with Harringay Green Lanes [11]
  6. 1 2 Replacing an earlier, temporary station [18] :142,244
  7. 1 2 The first southern terminus of the Great Northern Railway was a temporary station at Maiden Lane, which has also been referred to as King's Cross. Despite their similar locations, this is a separate station from the London King's Cross that opened in 1852.
  8. 1 2 Out of station interchange with the National Rail station is permitted, but not with the London Underground station. [11]
  9. Does not include usage figures for King's Cross St Pancras tube station or St Pancras railway station
  10. Various stations and sets of platforms have existed at Moorgate; 23 September 1863 is the date the first company—the Metropolitan Railway—began services. The Great Northern & City Railway, whose services would become part of the Great Northern route, arrived on 14 February 1904. [18] :162 Their platforms were connected to the other platforms at the station by escalator. [45]
  11. 1 2 3 The first railway station named Stevenage opened on 7 August 1850 on the original stretch of the Great Northern Railway between London and Peterborough. [18] :220 In 1973, it was replaced with another station of the same name 1 mi (1.6 km) south on the line.
    [18] :220–221
  12. A temporary halt had operated since 1 September 1920. [18] :244
  13. Local authorities are based on the modern day jurisdiction of the station site. This may not be representative of the station's local authority at any point when it was open.
  14. 1 2 Will be replaced by a new station in the future (see § Future stations)

References

  1. 1 2 Historic England. "Welwyn North railway station and footbridge (1385391)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  2. Rabbitts, Paul; Jeffree, Peter (2021). "27. Digswell Viaduct". Welwyn & Welwyn Garden City in 50 Buildings. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN   978-1-3981-0248-4.
  3. Marsh, Alex (4 June 2025). "TfL reveals which Great Northern services it wants to run". Ham & High . Archived from the original on 27 July 2025. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
  4. "Makeover announced for First Capital Connect Class 365 Great Northern route trains". Eversholt Rail . 5 July 2013. Archived from the original on 22 June 2025. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
  5. "Route Plans 2010: Route Plan G East Coast & North East" (PDF). Network Rail. 31 March 2010. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 September 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 "Our Network". Govia Thameslink Railway. 2 February 2025. Archived from the original on 19 January 2025. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  7. "GTR (Govia Thameslink Railway) Presentation" (PDF). Govia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  8. "Great Northern Timetables as of May 2025". Govia Thameslink Railway . 18 May 2025. Archived from the original on 25 July 2025. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  9. "All Stations Train Operator Route Map". National Rail . Project Mapping. May 2025. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  10. Page, Luke (9 June 2025). "Mayor Paul Bristow says Cambridge South opening crucial to getting region moving". Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority . Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Out of Station Interchanges" (XLSX). Transport for London. 16 June 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  12. Wakefield, Peter (June 2023). "Timetable Changes May–December 2023" (PDF). RailFuture (198): 17.
  13. 1 2 "Station information". Great Northern . Archived from the original on 7 July 2025. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  14. 1 2 "Big city fear for Tempsford villagers near East West Rail station". BBC News . 30 January 2025. Archived from the original on 12 March 2025. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  15. 1 2 3 4 "Cambridge South station". Network Rail . June 2025. Archived from the original on 25 July 2025. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  16. "Route Update Announcement". East West Rail . Archived from the original on 15 July 2025. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  17. 1 2 3 4 Kitson, Darren (26 May 2017). "Trumpington". Disused Stations. Archived from the original on 12 July 2025. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 Butt, Raymond (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN   978-1852605087. OCLC   60251199. OL   11956311M.
  19. 1 2 Findlay, Cait (2 October 2024). "The lost railway Cambridgeshire station that could have reopened but plans were rejected". Cambridgeshire Live. Archived from the original on 3 January 2025. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
  20. 1 2 Brigstock-Barron, Rory (28 August 2013). "Parish councillor wants to bring back Offords railway station". The Hunts Post . Retrieved 9 August 2025.
  21. 1 2 "Reopen rail lines and stations". Campaign for Better Transport . Archived from the original on 25 July 2025. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
  22. "Estimates of station usage". Office of Rail and Road. 21 November 2024. Table 1410. Archived from the original on 19 June 2025. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 "London North Eastern Sectional Appendix" (PDF). National Electronic Sectional Appendix . Network Rail. 7 June 2025. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  24. 1 2 Historic England. "Railway platform building at Biggleswade railway station (1137769)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  25. 1 2 3 "Working Timetable 63: Piccadilly line" (PDF). Transport for London. 13 January 2025. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 August 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  26. Historic England. "Cambridge railway station (1343683)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  27. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Anglia Sectional Appendix" (PDF). National Electronic Sectional Appendix . Network Rail. 7 June 2025. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  28. 1 2 "Delayed £50m Cambridge North railway station opens". BBC News. 21 May 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
  29. Historic England. "Downham Market railway station (1171244)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  30. 1 2 3 "Working Timetable 42: Victoria line" (PDF). Transport for London. 13 January 2025. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 May 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  31. "Suffragette line timetable – May 2025" (PDF). Transport for London. 18 May 2025. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 May 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  32. "Mildmay line timetable – May 2025" (PDF). Transport for London. 18 May 2025. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 May 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  33. "Windrush line timetable – May 2025" (PDF). Transport for London. 18 May 2025. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 May 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  34. Historic England. "Huntingdon railway station (1128648)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  35. Historic England. "Kings Lynn railway station (1389399)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  36. Historic England. "Booking hall, public rooms, offices, and footbridge at Letchworth Garden City railway station (1174849)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  37. Historic England. "Kings Cross railway station (1078328)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  38. 1 2 3 4 "Working Timetable 39: Circle line and Hammersmith and City line" (PDF). Transport for London. 13 January 2025. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 August 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  39. 1 2 "Working Timetable 346: Metropolitan line" (PDF). Transport for London. 13 January 2025. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 August 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  40. 1 2 3 "Working Timetable 59: Northern line" (PDF). Transport for London. 27 June 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  41. "Lioness line timetable – May 2025" (PDF). Transport for London. 18 May 2025. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 May 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  42. Historic England. "Moorgate underground station (1359213)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  43. "Elizabeth line timetable from May 2025" (PDF). Transport for London. 18 May 2025. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 May 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  44. "Weaver line timetable – May 2025" (PDF). Transport for London. 18 May 2025. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 May 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  45. Day, John R (1979). The Story of London's Underground (6th ed.). London Transport. p. 58. ISBN   0-85329-094-6.
  46. 1 2 "New train station to be built five years early to support rail services". The Hunts Post . 5 February 2025. Archived from the original on 24 July 2025. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  47. British Transport Commission (1954). "Modernisation and Re-Equipment of British Rail". British Transport Commission. Archived from the original on 31 October 2006. Retrieved 25 November 2006 via The Railways Archive.
  48. "Beeching Report Proposes Closing Nearly a Third of Britain's 7,000 Railway Stations". The Times . No. 55661. 28 March 1963. p. 8. Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  49. 1 2 Brown, Joe (2015). London Railway Atlas (4th ed.). Ian Allan. p. 26. ISBN   978-0-7110-3819-6.
  50. 1 2 3 Oppitz, Leslie (2002). Lost Railways of East Anglia. Countryside Books. p. 15. ISBN   1-85306-595-1.
  51. 1 2 3 Adderson, Richard; Kenworthy, Graham (2002). Ely to Kings Lynn, including the Stoke Ferry Branch. Middleton Press. ISBN   1-901706-53-2.