Potters Bar railway station serves the town of Potters Bar in Hertfordshire, England. It is located on the Great Northern Route, 12 miles 57 chains (20.5 km) north of London King's Cross on the East Coast Main Line.[3][4]
Potters Bar  | |
|---|---|
 The main entrance of the station | |
  Potters Bar Location of Potters Bar in Hertfordshire | |
| Location | Potters Bar |
| Local authority | Borough of Hertsmere |
| Grid reference | TL249014 |
| Managed by | Great Northern |
| Station code(s) | PBR |
| DfT category | C2 |
| Number of platforms | 4 |
| Accessible | Yes[1] |
| Fare zone | B |
| National Rail annual entry and exit | |
| 2019–20 |  2.091 million[2] |
| 2020–21 |  0.562 million[2] |
| 2021–22 | 1.417 million[2] |
| 2022–23 | 2.073 million[2] |
| 2023–24 | 2.379 million[2] |
| Railway companies | |
| Original company | Great Northern Railway |
| Pre-grouping | Great Northern Railway |
| Post-grouping | London and North Eastern Railway |
| Key dates | |
| 7 August 1850 | Opened as Potter's Bar |
| 1 May 1923 | Renamed Potter's Bar and South Mimms |
| 3 May 1971 | Renamed Potter's Bar |
| Other information | |
| External links | |
| Coordinates | 51°41′49″N 0°11′38″W / 51.697°N 0.194°W |
 London transport portal | |
History
editThe first section of the Great Northern Railway (GNR) - that from Louth to a junction with the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway at Grimsby - opened on 1 March 1848; the southern section of the main line, between Maiden Lane and Peterborough, was not opened until August 1850. Potter's Bar was one of the original stations, opening with the line on 7 August 1850.[5][6][7]
On 1 May 1923, the station was renamed Potter's Bar and South Mimms; on 3 May 1971, it reverted to its original name of Potter's Bar.[7]
The current station building, designed in a post-modern style, is the third on this site. It replaced a 1955 structure designed by James Wyatt of the Eastern Region Architect's Department (Chief Architect H Powell).[8] Pevsner described the 1955 station as "The first of the Eastern Region's good modern stations, the style much lighter in touch than in the stations of the 1960s (cf Broxbourne). Neat brick clerestory-lit booking hall".[9]
The platform canopies were also constructed in 1955, using what was then an innovative technique of pre-stressed concrete. As the concrete set, it unexpectedly curved up at either end of the long, thin canopies, unintentionally creating the willow look.[10]
Thameslink Programme
editIn September 2016, Govia Thameslink Railway released a consultation for their May 2018 timetables, following completion of the Thameslink Programme.[11]
It was proposed that the local Great Northern services between Moorgate and Welwyn Garden City would be increased from 3 to 4 tph with the Cambridge to London King's Cross services transferred to Thameslink and extended to Maidstone East via London Bridge. The peak hour Welwyn Garden City to London King's Cross were also to be transferred to Thameslink and extended to Sevenoaks via Catford.
In May 2018, the local Great Northern services were increased to 4 trains per hour (tph) as planned, although they have subsequently been reduced to 2 tph due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Cambridge to London service was also transferred to Thameslink, but was not extended to Maidstone East as planned.[12] The service was transferred back to Great Northern in May 2023.
The Welwyn Garden City to London services were transferred to Thameslink in May 2018, as planned, and were subsequently extended to Sevenoaks in May 2022.[13]
Accidents and incidents
editThe station has been the site of two major train crashes:
- On 10 February 1946, a local passenger train travelling towards London King's Cross crashed into the barriers at Potters Bar station, causing debris to foul the fast lines. The debris was then hit by two express trains on the fast lines, causing two deaths and 17 injuries.[14]
- On 10 May 2002, a northbound express train derailed whilst passing through the station, resulting in seven deaths and 76 injuries.[15]
Facilities
editThe station has a ticket office which is staffed for most of the day.[16]
The station is on two levels:
- On the lower level are ticket machines in the booking hall and near the entrance to the car park, a photo booth, cash machine, two ticket counters and a cafe. Ramped access to the platforms is controlled by automatic ticket barriers.
- On the upper level, canopies run most of the length of both platforms. Each island platform has a help-point. Platforms 1 & 2 have toilets, a refreshment kiosk and a customer information office.[17] Platforms 3 & 4 are home to staff facilities, including a mess room and station manager's office.
Platforms 2 & 3 are used by express services and platforms 1 & 4 are used by local services.
Oyster card ticketing
editGovia Thameslink Railway agreed to extend London Zonal Fares to include Potters Bar by September 2015 when they won the Great Northern franchise.[18] In 2016, Transport for London indicated that Welwyn Garden City and Potters Bar are two of the top four priority stations for the extension of London Zonal Fares.[19]
The station came under Transport for London's Oyster card fare system during summer 2019.[20]
Services
editAll off-peak services at Potters Bar are operated by Great Northern, using Class 387 and Class 717 electric multiple units.
The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[21][22]
- 2 tph to London King's Cross (semi-fast)
- 2 tph to Moorgate (all stations)
- 2 tph to Welwyn Garden City
- 2 tph to Letchworth Garden City of which 1 continues to Cambridge
Additional services, including a number of Thameslink-operated services to and from Sevenoaks, via Catford, call at the station during peak hours.[23]
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Northern Stopping Services | ||||
| Great Northern Semi-Fast Services | ||||
| Thameslink Peak Hours Only | ||||
Connections
editThe station is served by London Buses routes 298 and 313, Metroline routes 242 and PB1, Sullivan Buses routes 84 and 398, and Uno route 610.[24]
References
edit- ^ "Potters Bar Station Plan". National Rail Enquiries. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
- ^ a b c d e "Estimates of station usage". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
- ^ Baker, S.K. (April 2007) [1977]. Rail Atlas Great Britain & Ireland (11th ed.). Hersham: Oxford Publishing Co. p. 25, section A1. ISBN 978-0-86093-602-2. 0704/K.
- ^ Padgett, David (October 2016) [1988]. Brailsford, Martyn (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams 2: Eastern (4th ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. map 15A. ISBN 978-0-9549866-8-1.
- ^ Gordon, W.J. (1989) [1910]. Our Home Railways. London: Bracken Books. volume II, p. 44. ISBN 1-85170-314-4.
- ^ Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. London: Guild Publishing. p. 135. CN 8983.
- ^ a b Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 190. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
- ^ Lawrence, David (2018). British Rail Architecture 1948-97. Crecy Publishing Ltd. p. 52. ISBN 9780860936855.
- ^ Pevsner, Mikolaus (1977). The Buildings of England: Hertfordshire. New Haven & London: Yale University Press. p. 272. ISBN 0-300-09611-9.
- ^ Coster, Peter J (2010). The Book of the Great Northern: the Main Line: An Engineering Commentary: Part One: King's Cross to Welwyn Garden City. Clophill, England: Irwell Press. p. 161. ISBN 978-1-906919-30-6.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 14 April 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Thameslink at Maidstone East will not launch in December 2019". Kent Online. 19 September 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- ^ Table 24, 25 National Rail timetable, May 2022
- ^ "Accident at Potters Bar on 10th February 1946". Railways Archive. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- ^ "Seven die in train crash". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- ^ "Potters Bar Station Information". Great Northern. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- ^ "Potters Bar Station Plan". Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Oyster card coming to Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield and Potters Bar". 13 July 2016.
- ^ Louis, Nathan (12 December 2018). "Oyster card extension to Radlett and Potters Bar welcomed by Hertsmere". Watford Observer. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
- ^ Table 24, 25 National Rail timetable, December 2023
- ^ "Timetables". Great Northern Rail. 2 June 2024. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
- ^ "Timetables". Govia Thameslink Railway. 2 June 2024. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
- ^ "Potters Bar bus services". Bustimes.org. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
External links
edit
- Train times and station information for Potters Bar railway station from National Rail