There is an abundance of north-south rail travel in Hertfordshire. A facility for east-west rail travel would provide us with a joined-up rail network :

It seems clear the key choices are in the Rickmansworth, Watford and St Albans area :

It should be borne in mind that our diagrammatic maps are intended to illustrate railway infrastructure and are not to scale.

Hertsrail is a proposal for a joined-up rail network in Hertfordshire. It is based on comprehensive research by rail researcher RailAble.

RailAble, also known as RailEnable, researches an improved rail network. Hertsrail, our proposal for a joined-up rail network in Hertfordshire, is the RailAble project : "East west rail - Oxford to Cambridge". For much more information on our proposal visit RailAble (opens in new window or tab).

Hertfordshire - Essex Rapid Transit (HERT) is a proposal to close the Watford Junction to St Albans Abbey branch line with a high-frequency bus service Watford to Harlow, also Hemel Hempstead to Harlow. HERT converts the St Albans Abbey line to a guided busway : HERT converts the Abbey line to a guided busway
The proposal is flawed since buses will make congestion worse on the A414. It reduces capacity on the A414 thereby undermining Hertfordshire's competitiveness. HERT needs to be abandoned. Our alternative is a joined-up rail network in Hertfordshire.

HERT is a bus network. Hertsrail is a rail network. They are alternatives. A rail network is a better proposal for Hertfordshire and also provides better travel opportunities well beyond Hertfordshire.

To support our proposals for a joined-up rail network in Hertfordshire, we invite you to read our previous newsletters and sign up to receive them at Hertsrail newsletter (opens in new window or tab).

Our step by step proposals are as follows.

Step 1. Service every 30 minutes on the St Albans Abbey line. A service every 30 minutes would be more attractive to passengers, requiring two trains and an upgrade to the infrastructure enabling the two trains to pass, known as a passing loop. One possibility is that trains might pass at How Wood station or vicinity. This is further north than the midpoint, giving more time for the train driver to change ends at St Albans Abbey than at Watford Junction. The Abbey station is unstaffed, so the train crew could use the time available to do ticketing i.e. revenue protection, which helps to ensure a better case for keeping the line open.

In June 2022 it was announced that the bid for a passing loop at Bricket Wood, enabling a more frequent service than currently operates, was rejected by the Department for Transport (DfT). However we are proposing trains passing at How Wood or vicinity and which awaits evaluation.

Further information : A more frequent service on the Watford Junction to St Albans Abbey line

The timetable from 11 December 2022 reduces service frequency off-peak. We are opposed to this Opposing the reduction in service frequency on the Abbey line

Beyond step 1, further steps are to be determined. Readers may wish to select from the choices offered at RailAble (opens in new window or tab).

We are hoping Hertfordshire County Council will recognise that a St Albans to Hatfield railway would be useful. Having included it in the county rail strategy, the approach we suggest is to develop route options, select a route and safeguard it. This provides land and property owners with the opportunity to make arrangements to sell, if and when they choose to do so. This is better than a debate as to whether the line should be built followed by development of route options, selection of a route and disruption that could have been avoided.

To support our proposals for a joined-up rail network in Hertfordshire, we invite you to read our previous newsletters and sign up to receive them at Hertsrail newsletter (opens in new window or tab).

We conclude our home page with a view of St Albans Abbey station on a sunny day in 2017. The links at the top of the page are for further information.

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Last revised 20 August 2023