Hemel Hempstead railway station
Hemel Hempstead 
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| Location | |
| Place | Hemel Hempstead |
| Local authority | Borough of Dacorum |
| Coordinates | 51°44′31″N 0°29′28″W / 51.742°N 0.491°WCoordinates: 51°44′31″N 0°29′28″W / 51.742°N 0.491°W |
| Grid reference | TL042059 |
| Operations | |
| Station code | HML |
| Managed by | London Midland |
| Number of platforms | 4 |
| DfT category | C2 |
| Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries |
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| Annual rail passenger usage* | |
| 2011/12 |
 1.791 million |
| 2012/13 |
1.877 million |
| 2013/14 |
1.925 million |
| 2014/15 |
1.933 million |
| 2015/16 |
1.981 million |
| History | |
| Original company | London and Birmingham Railway |
| Pre-grouping | London and North Western Railway |
| Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway |
| 20 July 1837 | Opened as Boxmoor |
| 17 December 1912 | Renamed Boxmoor and Hemel Hempstead |
| 2 June 1924 | Renamed Boxmoor |
| 1 September 1924 | Renamed Boxmoor and Hemel Hempstead |
| 1 July 1930 | Renamed Hemel Hempstead and Boxmoor |
| 20 December 1963 | Renamed Hemel Hempstead |
| National Rail – UK railway stations | |
| * Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Hemel Hempstead from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year. | |
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Hemel Hempstead railway station is on the West Coast Main Line, on the western edge of the town of Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. The station is 24 1⁄2 miles (39.4 km) north-west of London Euston on the West Coast Main Line. Hemel Hempstead is managed by London Midland and all train services are operated by London Midland and Southern.
One of two railway stations now serving the town, the other being Apsley, this one is in an area called Boxmoor, resulting in the station still called "Boxmoor Station" locally. Both were built when Hemel Hempstead was still small; before it was designated a New Town in 1946 and grew rapidly in size. Bus services run from there to the town centre. Also in the vicinity of the station are two pubs and the Grand Union Canal, about 110 yd (100 m) away.
There are four full-length (12 car) through platforms and one disused south-facing bay (on the slow lines).
Ticket Barriers are in operation.
Hemel Hempstead station was opened by the London and Birmingham Railway on 20 July 1837. Originally called Boxmoor station, it was the first terminus of the new line from the south, engineered by Robert Stephenson, which was subsequently extended to Tring in October of the same year and then to Birmingham in 1838. The decision to locate the station 1 mile (1.6 km) outside Hemel Hemsptead town centre was a result of the opposition faced by the L&BR during construction of the line. There were vociferous protests from local landowners who sought to protect their estates from invasion by the "iron horse", including influential figures such as the Earl of Essex (Cassiobury Estate), the Earl of Clarendon (The Grove Estate) and the eminent anatomist Sir Astley Cooper (Gadebridge Estate). Turbulent public meetings were held in Berkhamsted and Watford, and in the House of Lords on 22 June 1832, Lord Brownlow of Ashridge voiced his opposition to "the forcing of the proposed railway through the land and property of so great a proportion of dissentient landowners." In order to obtain Parliamentary approval, the L&BR was forced to choose an alternative route which was less favourable to Hemel Hempstead but satisfied Hertfordshire landowners.
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