Existing Towns

Rail services within the FCC are good. The European Rail Traffic Management System (a ‘system which will replace traditional railway signals with a computer display inside every train cab’, enabling trains to ‘run at an appropriate safe speed, allowing more trains onto the tracks’) is being rolled out along the East Coast Main Line which serves the towns.


The towns of the first ConnectedCity

The ConnectedCities methodology identifies Stevenage as a potential hub town. It has a population of 89,000 and is one of the largest towns in Hertfordshire. It is the first of the post-war new towns, with a growing regional acute hospital (Lister Hospital). Within 15 minutes rail travel of Stevenage are:



Local government


The first ConnectedCity is in at least four local government districts: Stevenage Borough, North Hertfordshire, East Hertfordshire, and the unitary council of Central Bedfordshire. If it has a station at Woolmer Green it will also include part of Welwyn-Hatfield.


Transport


Stevenage is an Intercity station on the East Coast Main Line. North of Stevenage a line to Cambridge diverges at Hitchin, and to the south a loop line via Hertford North diverges, rejoining it at Finsbury Park.


The FCC is identified in the Hertfordshire CC Transport Vision as being in both Corridor 3 (N-S) and Corridor 7 (E-W) including links to and between Luton and Stansted airports.


Rail


Rail services within the FCC are good, with 2 rail operators

and six stations

The main line is four-track, but its capacity is limited by a two-track section at Welwyn viaduct and Welwyn North station. There is a flyover south of Stevenage at the junction with the Hertford loop, and another north of Hitchin for trains to Cambridge.


The European Rail Traffic Management System (a ‘system which will replace traditional railway signals with a computer display inside every train cab’, enabling trains to ‘run at an appropriate safe speed, allowing more trains onto the tracks’) is being rolled out along the East Coast Main Line.


Walking & Cycling


Stevenage was designed with dedicated cycleways and a network of pedestrian routes which avoid vehicle traffic. Hitchin and Letchworth both have extensive existing networks of pathways centering on their stations.


Buses


At present Stevenage has a large bus station in the centre of the town. Services from it are both local to Stevenage and also serve the other towns of the FCC.