Stevenage | |
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365537 heading north though Stevenage railway station on platform 3
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Location | |
Place | Stevenage |
Local authority | Borough of Stevenage |
Grid reference | TL234241 |
Operations | |
Station code | SVG |
Managed by | Great Northern |
Owned by | Network Rail |
Number of platforms | 4 |
DfT category | C1 |
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries |
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Annual rail passenger usage* | |
2011/12 | 4.272 million |
2012/13 | 4.339 million |
2013/14 | 4.449 million |
2014/15 | 4.609 million |
2015/16 | 4.760 million |
History | |
Key dates | Opened 23 July 1973 |
8 August 1850 | Original station opened by GNR |
22 July 1973 | Station closed |
23 July 1973 | Relocated 73 chains(1.5km) south to present location and opened by BR |
29 September 1973 | Officially opened by Shirley Williams MP |
National Rail – UK railway stations | |
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Stevenage from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year. | |
Stevenage railway station serves the town of Stevenage in Hertfordshire, England. The station is 27 miles 45 chains (44.4 km) north of London Kings Cross on the East Coast Main Line. Stevenage is managed and served by Great Northern. It is also served by Hull Trains and Virgin Trains East Coast.
The present station was opened on 26 July 1973 by Shirley Williams, then MP for Stevenage, replacing the previous station, which was 73 chains (1,500 m) to the north, and further away from the centre of the new town. The station was built by British Rail.
The original Stevenage railway station was built in 1850 by the Great Northern Railway, despite the apparent hostility towards the railway being built there at that time due to the inevitable decline it would cause to local coach businesses, which all ended shortly after the station was opened. In 1946, Stevenage was one of the first communities selected to become a 'New Town' as part of the governments New Towns Act, which resulted in a new town centre. In 1973, the railway station was relocated 73 chains (1.47 km) south, within walking distance (220 yd, 200 m) of the new town centre.
The station has two separate ticket offices (Great Northern and Virgin Trains East Coast), but in practice, each sell each other's tickets. There are also seven ticket machines. There are toilets at street level (but not on the platforms) and lifts from the station building to both platforms.
The station also has automatic ticket barriers, which were installed by First Capital Connect (the previous train operator) shortly after it took over the route, as a revenue protection exercise and to improve security at the station. There is a snack bar, at street level, and two coffee bars at platform level, with one per platform. The newsagent previously at street level closed in March 2014, pending the redevelopment of the station which has since been completed. Since December 2013, the previous train operator, First Capital Connect started refurbishing the station completely, introducing passenger lifts between platform and street level, and refurbishing the concourse area plus retail units. The works were due to be completed by April 2014, but were delayed. Since Great Northern took over the franchise in September 2014, these works have been completed.