Hertford East
The main entrance to the station
Hertford East Location of Hertford East in Hertfordshire
Location	Hertford
Local authority	District of East Hertfordshire
Grid reference	TL330129
Managed by	Greater Anglia
Station code	HFE
DfT category	E
Number of platforms	2
Accessible	Yes[1]
Fare zone	B
National Rail annual entry and exit
2018–19	1.313 million[2]
2019–20	1.286 million[2]
2020–21	0.243 million[2]
2021–22	0.674 million[2]
2022–23	0.901 million[2]
Railway companies
Original company	Great Eastern Railway
Pre-grouping	Great Eastern Railway
Post-grouping	London and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
31 October 1843	first station opened
27 February 1888 (1888-02-27)	present station opened as Hertford
1 July 1923	Renamed Hertford East
Other information
External links	Departures Layout Facilities Buses
WGS84	51°47′56″N 0°04′23″W / 51.799°N 0.073°W / 51.799; -0.073
London transport portal

Hertford East railway station is the northern terminus of the Hertford East branch line off the West Anglia Main Line in the east of England, and is located in the town of Hertford in Hertfordshire. It is 24 miles 19 chains (39.0 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is one of two stations in the town, the other being Hertford North on the Hertford Loop Line. Its three-letter station code is HFE.

The station and all trains calling are operated by Greater Anglia.

There are two platforms, although platform number one is generally only used during peak times, during times of disruption and primarily for trains to and from Stratford station.

History

The first station opened on 31st October 1843 sited to the east of the present station. The current station, designed by W. N. Ashbee, was opened by the Great Eastern Railway on 27 February 1888, replacing the first station. The station was listed in 1974 as a Grade II listed building;^[3] in 1996 the buffer stop lights on platform 1 were separately listed in their own right.^[4]

The Grade II listed signal box at the station was dismantled in October 2021 to allow for platform extensions. It will be relocated to the Wensleydale Railway.^[5]

Services

A 1902 Railway Clearing House map of railways in the vicinity of Hertford East (centre, shown here in violet as G.E.)

The typical Monday-Saturday off-peak service is two trains per hour to London Liverpool Street via Tottenham Hale.

The typical morning peak service is three trains per hour, two of which are for Liverpool Street via Seven Sisters and one is for Stratford via Tottenham Hale. The typical evening peak service is three trains an hour, two of which are for Liverpool Street via Tottenham Hale and one of which is for Broxbourne.

The typical service on a Sunday is two trains per hour to Stratford via Tottenham Hale. .

Services are generally formed of Class 720 units.

Oyster and contactless cards are accepted at the station.

View eastwards, out from stop blocks in 1959

Proposed developments

Some options of the proposed East West Rail involve reopening a route between Hertford East railway station and Hertford North railway station; however a 2009 discussion paper noted that while "the new connection appears technically feasible, doubts must be cast over its public acceptability and deliverability".^[6]

In popular culture

Hertford East doubles as Yeovil Railway Station in the 1960 film School for Scoundrels, seen in the opening titles and closing credits. ^[7]

The station features in a number of different channel branding films (called 'Idents' in the television industry) for the ITV Channels in the UK. Different, but similar idents have been created for each of the ITV Networks 1, 2, 3, and 4.

References

External links

• Train times and station information for Hertford East railway station from National Rail

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Ware		Greater Anglia Hertford East branch line		Terminus