St Albans Branch Line
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| St Albans Branch Line |
| Principal stations Watford Junction |
The St Albans Abbey Branch Line is a railway line from Watford Junction to St Albans Abbey railway station. The route is often referred to as the "Abbey Flyer", after St Albans Abbey. It has been selected as a Community Rail line by the Strategic Rail Authority. See the Association of Community Rail Partnerships (http://www.acorp.org.uk/) website for more information.
The 6.5 mile route was electrified at 25 kV AC overhead in 1987-1988, and is single track throughout. The line connects with the West Coast Main Line at Watford Junction.
Passenger services are currently operated by Silverlink under the "Silverlink County" brand, using either a dual-voltage Class 313, or a 25kV Class 321/4 electric multiple unit if a 313 is not available. On rare occasions, a Class 150 diesel multiple unit has been substituted.
Signalling on the line is simple - the line is operated under "One Train With Train Staff" rules, where only one train is allowed on the line at a time. Trains can be taken off the line in to the yard when required using a manual process which takes some time.
There is a single AHB level crossing outside Watford North, operated by a treadle and a manual plunger at Watford North for trains towards St Albans, and a treadle for trains from St Albans Abbey towards Watford Junction.
The service is a Pay Train and all stations between Watford North and St Albans Abbey are unstaffed, so any ticket can be bought on the train. If joining at Watford Junction, you will require a ticket before you join the train, otherwise you will have to pay full-fare.
External links
- Abbey Flyer Users' Group (http://www.abfly.org.uk/)
