LNER Stevenage Pickup/Setdown

[redreni]

I am furious on behalf of the residents of Watton-at-Stone.

Both of them.

 

[riceuten]

Watton is certainly lucky in the level of service it receives. relative to the population.

 

[bramling]

Watton is certainly lucky in the level of service it receives. relative to the population.

It isn’t that small a place, and the station serves some surrounding villages as well. Whilst the frequency is good, the journey to London is not quick, and in the other direction anywhere except Stevenage requires a change. I suspect a proportion of potential users drive to Knebworth or Welwyn North in consequence.

 

[Bald Rick]

It isn’t that small a place, and the station serves some surrounding villages as well. Whilst the frequency is good, the journey to London is not quick, and in the other direction anywhere except Stevenage requires a change. I suspect a proportion of potential users drive to Knebworth or Welwyn North in consequence.

A former MD of FCC once lamented to me the fact the station had reopened in 1982. “Complete waste of resource” I think they said.

 

[riceuten]

It isn’t that small a place, and the station serves some surrounding villages as well. Whilst the frequency is good, the journey to London is not quick, and in the other direction anywhere except Stevenage requires a change. I suspect a proportion of potential users drive to Knebworth or Welwyn North in consequence.

2,614 population. Train up to every 30 minutes and evenings and weekends as well. I’m the only person getting on or off when I go there.

 

[London Trains]

It’s not ideal but, it’s only Watton at Stone that goes without when the mainline is closed for engineering and everything has to go via Hertford.

If you call trains at Watton then the number of trains that can run reduces significantly.

Was there a rail replacement bus running between Watton and either Stevenage or Hertford?

 

[Royston Vasey]

Was there a rail replacement bus running between Watton and either Stevenage or Hertford?

Half hourly each way, same again this Sunday

 

[Hadders]

Was there a rail replacement bus running between Watton and either Stevenage or Hertford?

Yes there was. Two buses an hour between Stevenage and Hertford calling at Watton at Stone.

This is normal practice when the mainline is closed, to maximise available capacity on the Hertford loop for longer distance services.

 

[Bald Rick]

Was there a rail replacement bus running between Watton and either Stevenage or Hertford?

And it’s a traffic nightmare as they often turn up at the same time going each way, and both do a three point turn in the road just west of the staton, blocking it for evryone!

 

[Hadders]

And it’s a traffic night are as they often turn up at the same time goign each way, and both do a three point turn in the road just west of the staton, blocking it for evryone!

Rail replacement buses should really stop on the High Street to avoid having to turn round outside the station.

Would probably shave a couple of minutes off the journey as well.

 

[jon0844]

Rail replacement buses should really stop on the High Street to avoid having to turn round outside the station.

Would probably shave a couple of minutes off the journey as well.

That's what they're meant to do for Knebworth also, but some drivers still go into the station and then struggle to turn (there have been countless accidents in the car park - sometimes just bollards, sometimes entire cars damaged).

 

[bramling]

A former MD of FCC once lamented to me the fact the station had reopened in 1982. “Complete waste of resource” I think they said.

What resource did they mean? In those days it only had an hourly service, and there is some level of demand between Stevenage and the Hertford loop, so presumably the trains would have run anyway, even if the station wasn’t there. Or then again, given how bad travel is between towns in Hertfordshire that aren’t lined up with a route to London, perhaps not!

 

[Bald Rick]

What resource did they mean? In those days it only had an hourly service, and there is some level of demand between Stevenage and the Hertford loop, so presumably the trains would have run anyway, even if the station wasn’t there. Or then again, given how bad travel is between towns in Hertfordshire that aren’t lined up with a route to London, perhaps not!

Ticket office staff, electricity and brakepads I assume. also 4 minutes extra time on each driver’s diagram.

 

[bramling]

Ticket office staff, electricity and brakepads I assume. also 4 minutes extra time on each driver’s diagram.

I guess so. Ticket office not really necessary, but in terms of the rest there’s a lot of stations around the country on far thinner ice in terms of usage. Not least just two stops up the line, Bayford, which at that time would have had treble the off-peak service compared to Watton at Stone.

If one considers the resources necessary to provide a service to Stranraer, which without looking up the figures I bet is rather less used, one could probably conclude your FCC MD was being a bit mean!

 

[NER1621]

Watton is certainly lucky in the level of service it receives. relative to the population.

Well, Sir Nigel Gresley did used to live there.