Welwyn North railway station
Welwyn North  | |
|---|---|
|
Platform 1 | |
| Location | |
| Place | Digswell |
| Local authority | Borough of Welwyn Hatfield |
| Grid reference | TL247154 |
| Operations | |
| Station code | WLW |
| Managed by | Great Northern |
| Number of platforms | 2 |
| DfT category | E |
|
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries | |
| Annual rail passenger usage* | |
| 2002/03 | 0.369 million |
| 2004/05 |
 0.406 million |
| 2005/06 |
 0.395 million |
| 2006/07 |
0.428 million |
| 2007/08 |
0.455 million |
| 2008/09 |
0.468 million |
| 2009/10 |
0.454 million |
| 2010/11 |
0.486 million |
| 2011/12 |
0.509 million |
| 2012/13 |
0.525 million |
| 2013/14 |
0.548 million |
| 2014/15 |
0.566 million |
| History | |
| 1850 | Station opened by GNR as "Welwyn Station" |
| 1926 | Station renamed "Welwyn North" |
| National Rail – UK railway stations | |
| * Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Welwyn North from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year. | |
 UK Railways portal | |
Welwyn North railway station serves the villages of Digswell and Welwyn in Hertfordshire, England. The station is located approximately 22 miles (35 km) north of London Kings Cross, on the East Coast Main Line.
Location
Although the station is north of Welwyn Garden City, there is the actual village of Welwyn about 1 mile (1.6 km) west. Furthermore, the station is actually located in the district of Digswell. Also, just to the south the line passes over the Welwyn Viaduct and to the north through two tunnels. This section (between Digswell and Woolmer Green Junctions) is a significant capacity bottleneck, being the only double track portion on what is otherwise a four track main line all the way from London to Hitchin & beyond.
History
The Station was opened in 1850 as part of the Great Northern Railway. It was called Welwyn Station until 1926 when it was renamed following the opening of Welwyn Garden City. It was built by contractor Thomas Brassey out of locally produced red brick.
The Welwyn Tunnel rail crash occurred in the tunnels to the north of the station in 1866.
In its heyday the station served local agriculture as well as passenger traffic. There was a goods yard and goods shed on the west side and sidings to the north and south. These included an impressive set of coal drops and, from 1884, a private siding for the adjacent beehive works (E. H. Taylor Ltd. from 1900). The complex included three railway worker's cottages on the west (down) side and two on the east (up). Much of the land to build the station was purchased from local landowner George Augustus 6th Earl Cowper, who built the Cowper Arms Hotel on land adjoining to the west. This is contemporary with the station and built in the same red brick, reputedly by the same navvies (who went on to frequent it).
Today the goods yard has made way for a car park but the main station building, the worker's cottages and the Cowper Arms remain.
The station is a rare survival of architecture from the early days of the GNR and this is now recognised with listed building status. The main station building, the footbridge, the tunnel portal to the north and Welwyn Viaduct to the south are all Grade 2 listed.
Services
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Welwyn North station is served by a half-hourly service southbound to London Kings Cross and northbound to Peterborough or Cambridge Mondays to Saturdays, respectively. There is an hourly service in each direction on Sundays, although there are no services direct to Peterborough, only Cambridge.
Route
Below are the routes that Welwyn North is, or has been on since it was built.
| Preceding station | National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Northern East Coast Main Line | ||||
References
Welwyn's Railways: A History of the Great Northern Line, 1850-1986, Tom W. Gladwin, Peter W. Neville, Douglas E. White, The Book Castle (November 1986)
External links
- Train times and station information for Welwyn North railway station from National Rail
Coordinates: 51°49′26″N 0°11′31″W / 51.824°N 0.192°W