Garston railway station (Hertfordshire)

Garston railway station serves the Garston area of Watford in Hertfordshire, England. It is the third station on the Abbey Line after Watford Junction and Watford North. The station and all trains serving it are operated by London Northwestern Railway.

Garston
National Rail
General information
LocationGarston, Watford
England
Grid referenceTQ119999
Managed byLondon Northwestern Railway
Platforms1
Other information
Station codeGSN
ClassificationDfT category F2
Key dates
7 February 1966Opened
Passengers
2018/19Increase 80,724
2019/20Decrease 75,218
2020/21Decrease 8,796
2021/22Increase 18,412
2022/23Increase 41,946
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Like all the other stations on the branch, Garston is an unstaffed railway halt. At opening by British Rail in 1966 it was a welcome addition to a branch which was otherwise being heavily rationalised.

History

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The station was opened by the Mayor of Watford on 7 February 1966. It consisted of just a short wooden platform, and was probably the first new station (as opposed to a relocation) in Great Britain following the Beeching Report of 1963,[citation needed] which led to the closure of many stations.

In 2010 the station was improved with new signage, a new shelter, new lighting & artwork by children from Berry Grove Primary School[1] (now The Grove Academy) - a local school located at the end of Fourth Avenue.

Services

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All services at Garston are operated by London Northwestern Railway using Class 350 EMUs.

The typical off-peak service on all days of the week is one train per hour in each direction between Watford Junction and St Albans Abbey. This is increased to a train approximately every 45 minutes in each direction during the peak hours.[2]

Preceding station   National Rail Following station
Watford North   London Northwestern Railway
  Bricket Wood

Connections

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The station is served by the Uno route 635 which provides connections to Watford, Hatfield, Stevenage and Hitchin.[3]

Future

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Possible changes on the line include new means of buying tickets, and the restoration of a passing loop at Bricket Wood, which would facilitate a 30-minute train service. In October 2009 the Department for Transport announced plans to convert the line to light rail.

References

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  1. ^ "Paintings transform train station". Watford Observer. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  2. ^ Table 61 National Rail timetable, December 2022
  3. ^ "Route 635: Watford to Hitchin". UNO. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
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51°41′13″N 0°22′55″W / 51.687°N 0.382°W / 51.687; -0.382