LNWR 350 265 arrives with a Milton Keynes bound service
Information
Type:
National Rail (West Coast Main Line)
Station code:
BKM
Opened:
1838
Platforms:
4
The first Berkhamsted station was built in 1838 by the London & Birmingham Railway. The line (which nowadays is part of the West Coast Main Line) was originally planned to cut through the site of Berkhamsted Castle however the plans were changed after the castle became the first building to obtain a protection order from parliament. The WCML now runs along an embankment next to the castle's barbican.
The original station was replaced by a larger station on the current site in 1875, the new site was just 100m away from the old one. Most of the original 1875 station buildings are still in place and in use. One major change from Victorian days being the WCML electrification in the 1960s.
All four lines of the WCML have platforms though the platforms on the slow lines are used mostly. At one time it was proposed to extend Crossrail (what became the Elizabeth Line) to Berkhamsted and through to Tring but in the end the government decided not to proceed. The station is managed and served by London North Western Railway.
