Stevenage celebrates station’s half-century with strawberry sponge

• UK’s first New Town celebrates station’s 50^thbirthday
• Mayor reveals plaque and cuts cake
• Over 40 community and rail industry guests attend, including local councillor who attended 1973 opening

Stevenage is celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the opening of its railway station. Local community representatives joined station staff and others in the rail industry to share a celebration cake on Friday (29 September).

Cllr Myla Arceno, Mayor of Stevenage, unveiled a steel commemorative plaque to be installed on the footbridge between the town centre and the booking hall. The Mayor then completed the official proceedings by slicing and sharing the celebration strawberry jam sponge. The cake was decorated with the British Rail logo from the decade the station was built.

The Mayor said: “This 50^th anniversary plaque celebrates the half-century this station has served the town of Stevenage. The original rebuilt station we're standing in today was originally opened 50 years ago, almost to the day, by the late Baroness Williams, the MP for Stevenage in 1973. The original station was 1,500 metres to the north of the current station.”

Cllr Arceno was joined by fellow Borough councillors, and representatives from Hertfordshire County Council, Network Rail, LNER and Govia Thameslink Railway, who operate Great Northern and Thameslink trains. Guests included Cllr Lloyd Briscoe, who had attended the station’s official opening on 26 September 1973.

Councillor Briscoe said: “Stevenage is very much a town in demand, with major employers looking to come here, and that’s partly because of our excellent rail links. Since it first opened in 1973, the station has always been important to the town and will remain at the heart of our future economic prosperity.

“Our 20-year, £1bn regeneration programme for the town centre is designed to forge even stronger connections between the station and the community it serves. So, as someone who was honoured to attend the original station opening, I was delighted to help mark its 50th Anniversary and I’m sure we’ll still be celebrating its vital contribution in another half century.”

Another memory of the opening year was brought by Herts County Council’s Strategic Transport Team Leader Trevor Mason, in the shape of two 50-year-old platform tickets.

Angie Palmer, Head of Stations for Great Northern and Thameslink, said: "It was a truly lovely event, and it was great to celebrate with both my team and members of the local community, some who have been involved and supported the many improvements that have been made here over the years. I'd like to pay special tribute to the team at Stevenage because they really do take pride in their station, and that makes all the difference. I also thank Cllr Myla Arceno, Mayor of Stevenage for doing the honours of unveiling the plaque to commemorate this very special anniversary.”

Justin Swain, Customer Account Manager at Network Rail, said: “We want to wish Stevenage station a very happy 50^th birthday! For the last half century, the station has served millions of passengers travelling on the East Coast Main Line and beyond, and we look forward to working alongside the station’s train operators to make sure it continues to do so for the next 50 years and more.”

ends

Notes to editors

Station history

Stevenage, a small farming town until the 1940s, was designated the UK’s first “New Town” in 1946, with plans to increase the population 10 times, to around 60,000. For 27 years, the original 1850-built station continued to serve the growing community, many of the new arrivals from London commuting to their jobs in the Capital.

In 1973, by which time the town had reached its target population, the station was moved about 1.5km southwards, to be within easier walking distance of the new town centre. A much larger building, praised at the time for its modernity, was constructed to accommodate the increase in passenger numbers. The new station was opened by the then local MP Shirley Williams (later Baroness Williams) on 26 September 1973.

Today the station is managed by Great Northern, and is also served by Thameslink and LNER trains.