Congestion in 1951

 

Carpenders Park Station

Arthur Hall

By 1951 the station still consisted of two old railway sleeper platforms with a small wooden booking office and waiting room. The gas-lit structure had become inadequate and obsolete. By 1951 the station was catering for some 20,000 passengers, with rush hour queues at the ticket office and congestion on the footbridge and platforms an everyday occurrence.

Temporary relief by platform widening was out of the question because of the close proximity of the steam main lines, and a completely new structure was the only solution. The West Herts Post of 6th August 1951 reported that the position had been slightly eased recently by the opening of an additional ticket office following representations from passengers and the St Meryl Residents’ Association.