As part of the celebrations around Railway 200, London Northwestern & West Midlands Railway have been looking back at the history behind the stations on our network. The next station on the London Northwestern patch is Berkhamsted.
Berkhamsted is a historic market town in Hertfordshire located 26 miles northwest of London. Situated along the path of The Grand Union Canal, it boasts a wide range of shops and an art deco cinema. The town famous for Berkhamsted Castle thrives as a commuter hub, as London Euston is only 35 minutes away by trains. It was named as ‘The Best Place to Live in the South-East’ by the Sunday Times. London Northwestern is the only train operator that currently runs to the station. A station which has a long and impressive history.
Early History:
The first iteration of the station was constructed in 1837 after being authorised in 1833 following protest from the locals regarding concerns around land, estates and the castle. After the act of 1833, which prevented construction on the castle grounds. This became the first ever statutory protection for a historic monument. Construction of the line and station begin in 1834. The station boasted an ornate Elizabethan-style features with gothic flourishes.
By the end of the 19th century, there was a need for a fourth line to accommodate growing passenger numbers. A plan was actioned to build this line and because of this the station was moved roughly 100 meters northwest. The original station was demolished with only differences in brickwork a hint at the sites past function.
Modernisation:
As the 20th century approached, journey times to London Euston were now only 41 minutes. In 1923 the services through the station were taken over by London Midland & Scottish Railway company and continued to run until nationalisation in 1948.
Where we are now:
Berkhamsted is perfectly situated by day trips from London. Travel between London Euston and Berkhamsted now only takes 30 minutes. The station has step-free access to all platforms after upgrades were to the station in 2013 and completed in 2015. The line through the station has also seen improvement works. Work on the Victorian Tunnel outside of Berkhamsted was completed in January as part of a larger £20 million improvement project by Network Rail. Berkhamsted now sees the newest addition to the London Northwestern fleet, the 730/2 operate on the line calling at the station. The benefits of the new fleet include increased passenger capacity and more spacious interiors. Since COVID the station has had a record number of passengers between 2023/24. With passenger numbers of over 1.1 million passing through the station.
For more information on Railway 200: Railway 200