Royston and Hitchin Railway

The Eastern Counties Railway completed its main line from London to Norwich on 30 July 1845, running from the south through Cambridge and on to Ely.

[3] The Royston and Hitchin Railway had been submitted to Parliament as a proposed Cambridge and Oxford Railway, which would have run as a single track through Royston, Hitchin and Dunstable, but the scheme was very considerably cut back by the Lords in Parliament; there were other contenders in the field for occupation of the route.

The line served a purely agricultural district, but a connecting bus service ran between Royston and Cambridge.

For the time being the R&HR was simply a short branch line in a purely agricultural area, and the GNR was paying nearly £15,000 a year because of its guarantee.

The Board of Trade Inspecting Officer sanctioned opening only on condition that the ECR could use the R&HR turntable at Shepreth.

The ECR was always well behind in payment of rent, as was its successor, the Great Eastern[11][3] During this period the Eastern Counties Railway had opened negotiations to lease the R&HR, and a fourteen-year lease had been agreed in February 1852, to start from the connection of the lines at Shepreth: the ECR would pay £16,000 per annum guaranteed rent and interest on the R&HR.

The GNR agreed to pay the ECR 60% of any earnings in respect of King's Cross and Hitchin traffic to and from Cambridge and stations east of Ashwell on the R&HR.

[12] Towards the end of the lease period, the GNR gave consideration to taking over the R&HR Company, but there was obstruction from the GER about actually reaching Cambridge over their tracks (from Shelford Junction).

The GER saw that if the second choice materialised, they would be left in possession of a useless short branch that ended at Shepreth, and they agreed to the GNR's wishes, signing an agreement on 2 May 1864.

An Act in that year conceded to the GNR full running powers to Cambridge station, where all facilities and a separate platform would be provided; double track capable of carrying express services was promised between Shepreth and Shelford by 31 March 1866, the last day of the lease, on the expiration of which the R&HR line would be returned to the GNR.

When the line was handed back on 1 April 1866, the sleepers had been supplied but not installed, and it was left to the GNR to put the road in order.

I am glad to learn also that... the re-laying of the whole 18 miles may be completed in 12 weeks from the present time... Orders have wisely been given to slacken the speed of the trains pending the completion of this re-laying; and the posts have been erected, and wires strained, for providing telegraphic communication, which, strange to say, had not previously been supplied.

Doubling the line between Shelford Junction and Shepreth was completed early in May 1867, and the electric telegraph was working between Hitchin and Cambridge a few months afterwards.

[19] Sir Ebenezer Howard published his book "Tomorrow a Peaceful Path to Real Reform"[20] in which he put forward the notion of a Garden City; his work included heavy reliance on a railway connection.

Regular passenger services were provided at the halt from 15 April 1905; a goods depot was added on 19 August 1907, and a permanent station on 18 May 1913.

At the end of 1883, the 12:00 Cambridge to Kings Cross was given a Royston stop, and the overall schedule increased to 77 minutes, which remained for some years.

They were suspended at the outbreak of World War II in 1939, but they were reinstated on 6 December 1948, with four daily services in times of 82 to 90 minutes.

At Letchworth, population had grown to 30,945 by 1971 and many of its industries (principally engineering, printing, food preparation and the making of clothing and furniture) had developed alongside the railway.

In 1965 Letchworth despatched 64,197 tons of freight in full wagon loads and 8,554 in smaller consignments, while the station issued 151,295 ordinary and 2,795 season tickets, collecting 168,015.

Farther to the north-west Foxton was linked to a cement works near Barrington by a short branch line sanctioned by a Light Railway Order of 1920.

The first Outer Suburban electric multiple unit was received in July 1977, and from 3 October some entered service on existing diesel timings.

In early 1978 ten sidings and a carriage washing plant were added 3⁄4 mile (1.2 km) east of Letchworth.