View source for St Albans Abbey railway station

{{Short description|Railway station in Hertfordshire, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2017}}
{{Infobox station
| name                = St Albans Abbey
| symbol_location     = gb
| symbol              = rail
| image               = St Albans Abbey railway station in 2009.jpg
| borough             = [[St Albans]], [[City of St Albans|St Albans]]
| country             = England
| coordinates         = {{coord|51.7447|-0.3426|type:railwaystation_region:GB_scale:10000|display=inline,title}}
| grid_name           = [[Ordnance Survey National Grid|Grid reference]]
| grid_position       = {{gbmapscaled|TL145063|25|TL145063}}
| manager             = [[West Midlands Trains|London Northwestern Railway]]
| platforms           = 1
| code                = SAA
| classification      = [[United Kingdom railway station categories|DfT category]] F1
| original            = [[London and North Western Railway]]<ref name="Butt">{{harvnb|Butt|1995|p=202}}</ref>
| postgroup           = [[London Midland and Scottish Railway|LMS]]
| years               = 5 May 1858
| events              = Opened as '''St Albans'''<ref name="Butt" />
| years1              = 2 June 1924
| events1             = Renamed as '''St Albans Abbey'''<ref name="Butt" />
| mpassengers =
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2019/20 |passengers={{decrease}} 0.161 million}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2020/21 |passengers={{decrease}} 21,866}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2021/22 |passengers={{increase}} 58,328}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2022/23 |passengers={{increase}} 0.111 million}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2023/24 |passengers={{increase}} 0.118 million}}
| footnotes           = Passenger statistics from the [[Office of Rail and Road]]
}}
'''St Albans Abbey''' is one of two railway stations in [[St Albans]], [[Hertfordshire]], England; the other being the busier, much larger and a decade younger [[St Albans City railway station|St Albans City]]. It is located about {{convert|0.6|mi|km|0}} south of the city centre, in the St Stephen's area. It is the terminus of the [[Abbey Line]] from [[Watford Junction station|Watford Junction]], with services operated by [[West Midlands Trains|London Northwestern Railway]].

The unstaffed station consists of a single open-air platform and a car park. Improvement works were carried out in 2008. It was the second UK railway station to receive a [[Harrington Hump]] to improve [[accessibility]].<ref>{{cite news|title=UK Rail Station Installs Harrington Hump|url=http://www.railway-technology.com/news/news61899.html|accessdate=5 December 2011|newspaper=Railway-Technology.com|date=14 August 2009}}</ref>

==History==
{{St Albans railway stations}}
[[File:S Albans Abbey 6 77479 1.jpg|thumb|right|St Albans Abbey station in June 1977]]

St Albans Abbey was the first railway station in St Albans, built by the [[London and North Western Railway]] in 1858.  It was, as it is now, a terminus; the company's plans to extend northwards to [[Luton]] and [[Dunstable]] never materialised.  Although the [[Midland Railway]] opened their station (St Albans City) in 1868, it was not until 1924 that "Abbey" was added to the station's title to avoid confusion – by this stage, both stations were owned by the [[London, Midland and Scottish Railway]].

Until November 2007 responsibility for the branch line was with Silverlink.

Restoration of the passing loop at Bricket Wood was being considered by the local authorities and Network Rail but was turned down in early 2008; this would have facilitated trains running every 30 minutes. The passing loop proposal was being reconsidered in 2020 as part of the UK government’s £500-million 'Restoring Your Railway Fund' to re-open many of the lines and stations that were closed in the 1960s.<ref>{{cite news |last1=May |first1=Adam |title=The Herts train line granted government funding for significant improvements |url=https://www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk/news/hertfordshire-news/abbey-line-passing-loop-receive-4164714 |access-date=9 November 2020 |work=[[Hertfordshire Mercury]] |date=26 May 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Branch to Hatfield ===
In 1865, the [[Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)|Great Northern Railway]] supported a group of local landowners to open a [[Hatfield and St Albans Railway|branch line from Hatfield to St Albans Abbey]] with an intermediate stop at [[St Albans (London Road) railway station|St Albans London Road]], and later at {{rws|Smallford}} (1866), {{rws|Salvation Army Halt}} (1897), {{rws|Hill End}} (1899), {{rws|Nast Hyde Halt}} (1910) and {{rws|Lemsford Road Halt}} (1942).  This line closed to passengers in 1951.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Catford |first1=Nick |title=St Albans London Road Station |url=http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/s/st_albans_london_road/index.shtml |website=Disused Stations |access-date=30 December 2021 |date=26 May 2017}}</ref> Goods services were withdrawn from the end of 1968<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stacc.org.uk/albanway/AW%20Map%20v2.1.pdf |title=The Alban Way |access-date=28 February 2007 |publisher=St Albans Cycle Campaign |date=21 July 2005 |page=1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070104220214/http://www.stacc.org.uk/albanway/AW%20Map%20v2.1.pdf |archive-date=4 January 2007  }}</ref> and the track was lifted.  In the mid-1980s, the route was opened as a cycle path, now the [[Alban Way]]. The remains of the branch can be seen to the left of the single platform when looking down the line in the direction of [[Watford Junction]], including overgrown remnants of the second platform which would have served the branch.

==Station masters==

[[File:Dunstable, Hertford, Hitchin & St Albans RJD 35.jpg|thumb|left|A 1902 [[Railway Clearing House]] map of railways in the vicinity of St Albans Abbey (lower left, shown here in red as ''L.&N.W.'')]]

{{Div col}}
*Frederick Facer 1858  – 1866
*R. Butler 1866 - 1867
*Edward Orchard 1867 – 1875 (afterwards station master at Kings Langley)
*Andrew Dunleary 1875<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=King's Langley Testimonial |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001073/18750306/062/0005 |newspaper=Hemel Hempstead Gazette and West Herts Advertiser |location=England |date=6 March 1875 |access-date=7 March 2020 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription  }}</ref> – ???? (formerly station master at [[Kings Langley railway station|King’s Langley]])
*Mr. Welton ???? – 1890<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Berkhampstead |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001091/18900902/175/0008 |newspaper=Leighton Buzzard Observer and Linslade Gazette |location=England |date=2 September 1890 |access-date=7 March 2020 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription  }}</ref> (afterwards station master at [[Aylesbury railway station|Aylesbury]])
*F. Butcher 1890 – 1893<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Railway Changes |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000415/18931007/076/0005 |newspaper=Herts Advertiser |location=England |date=7 October 1893 |access-date=7 March 2020 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription  }}</ref> (afterwards station master at [[Atherstone railway station|Atherstone]])
*W.B. Holder 1893 – 1895<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=A new Station Master |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000415/18950518/092/0005 |newspaper=Herts Advertiser |location=England |date=18 May 1895 |access-date=7 March 2020 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription  }}</ref> (afterwards station master at Newport Pagnall)
*Mr. Smerdon 1895 – 1896 (formerly station master at [[Stanmore Village railway station|Stanmore]])
*William Telfer 1896 – 1905<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Departure of Mr. W. Telfer |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000415/19050916/096/0005 |newspaper=Herts Advertiser |location=England |date=16 September 1905 |access-date=7 March 2020 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription  }}</ref> (afterwards station master at Buxton)
*Henry Orchard 1905 – 1912<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Hertfordshire |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000536/19120823/102/0007 |newspaper=Luton Times and Advertiser |location=England |date=23 August 1912 |access-date=7 March 2020 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription  }}</ref> (afterwards station master at Harrow Junction)
{{Div col end}}
{{Expand list|date=March 2020}}

==Accidents and incidents==
*On 10 February 1988, a [[diesel multiple unit]] overran the [[buffer stop]]. There were no injuries amongst the seventeen passengers on board.<ref name=NSES88>{{cite web |url=https://www.nsers.org/1988.html |title=January 1988 to December 1988 |publisher=Network South East Railway Society |first=John P |last=McCrickard |date=6 October 2016 |accessdate=26 June 2018}}</ref>

==Services==
All services at St Albans Abbey are operated by [[West Midlands Trains|London Northwestern Railway]] using {{brc|350}} [[Electric multiple unit|EMUs]].

The typical off-peak service on all days of the week is one train per hour to and from {{stnlnk|Watford Junction}}, increasing to a train approximately every 45 minutes in each direction during the peak hours.<ref>{{NRtimes|December 2022|61}}</ref>

{{Adjacent stations|noclear=y
  |system1=National Rail
    |line1=London Northwestern Railway|type1=Abbey Line|left1=Park Street
  |header2=Disused railways
  |note-row2={{s-rail-national|status=Disused|next=St Albans (London Road)|toc=GNR|route={{smalldiv|[[Hatfield and St Albans Railway]]}}|note2={{smalldiv|Line and station closed}}}}
}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

== Sources ==
* {{Butt-Stations}}
* {{Jowett-Atlas}}
* [http://www.abbeyline.org.uk/ Abbeyline.org.uk]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070928195717/http://www.stacc.org.uk/albanway/ The Alban Way]

==External links==
{{commons category|St Albans Abbey railway station}}
{{stn art lnk|SAA|OL146RR}}

{{Hertfordshire railway stations}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Albans Abbey Railway Station}}
[[Category:Transport in St Albans]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Hertfordshire]]
[[Category:DfT Category F1 stations]]
[[Category:Former London and North Western Railway stations]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1858]]
[[Category:Railway stations served by West Midlands Trains]]