FAQ's

We welcome members of the Community of all ages who have an interest in volunteering, Community rail and rail. We have opportunities for Organisation volunteer days, event assistants, gardening, station enhancements, station checks and projects. As well as permanent station adopters who want to take on a station and help with regular station checks, project schemes at the station to benefit the station and passengers. Station adopters also have opportunities to attend networking events with other Community Rail Partnerships and attend annual national Awards events.

So if you if have any ideas for beneficial community events or volunteer please, get in touch with our Partnership Development Officer via the Contact page.

The Abbey Flyer is the name given to the Abbey line train service by the local community that runs between St Albans Abbey and Watford Junction stations.

All trains stop at Watford Junction, Watford North, Garston, Bricket Wood, How Wood, Park Street and St Albans Abbey.

See our Line Guide page for further information about each station, its location and facilities available.

Tickets can be purchased online from the train operators website (www.londonnorthwesternrailway.co.uk), national rail website www.nationalrail.co.uk, ticket vending machines at the stations and ticket windows at Watford Junction station. . For passengers joining the Abbey line service from Watford Junction, if you have not been able to purchase a ticket by the time you get to Watford Junction, you can buy one at the excess fare window located by the exit barriers inside the station or tickets vending machines located on platform 9.

London Northwestern Railway have also introduced a travel Smart Card for weekly or period (monthly up to annual) Season Ticket and Season Travelcard holders. You can use a smartcard to buy from your local LNR booking office, self-service machine or online via their website. If you have an existing Season Ticket or Season Travelcard, you can now also exchange that for a smartcard at your local LNR booking office.

Your new smartcard can help you avoid queuing to buy a ticket and make it easier to move through the ticket barriers, including those within London on the Underground and wider Transport for London network.
For more information on the Smartcard and how it works, please visit www.londonnorthwesternrailway.co.uk/smartcard

Yes, conductors will accept cash, credit or debit cards.

The journey takes 16 minutes from end to end. Visit our Timetable page for further information.

If your train journey is delayed by 30 minutes or more you can claim a refund from London NorthWestern Railway by following the link: https://www.londonnorthwesternrailway.co.uk/about-us/delay-repay

Check the platform notices, there will be a notice board with a map showing the location of the rail replacement bus stop.

Abbey Line stations are well located within the areas they serve and are easily reachable on foot or by bike. There is limited parking available at St Albans Abbey, Park Street and Bricket Wood and a large car park at Watford Junction.

St Albans Abbey, Watford Junction, Watford North and Garston stations are all served by Intalink bus services, which means a PlusBus ticket will cover the bus and train.

Some of the Abbey Line stations have a large stepping distance down from the train, but a call will allow us to make sure that a member of staff is available, with a portable access ramp if necessary.

If you need such assistance, you are normally requested to give 24 hours notice where possible. Please visit the London Northwestern Railway assisted travel pages on their website at https://www.londonnorthwesternrailway.co.uk/travel-information/accessible-travel
where you can find the relevant contact details.

If you need assistance, like boarding the train, buying a ticket or help with luggage, we’re happy to help.

We are committed to making our service accessible and inclusive. Here is some useful information to help you plan your journey with us.

How to book assistance
We support the rail industry Passenger Assist scheme and our team are there to help you book assistance for your journey anywhere on the network.

You can book:
Online using Passenger Assist form https://www.londonnorthwesternrailway.co.uk/contact-us/book-assisted-travel
By phone on Freephone 0800 024 8997; or
Next Generation Text: 18001 0800 024 8997
Our opening hours are 8am – 10pm, 7 days a week except for Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

To make a Passenger Assist booking, including seat reservations with other train operators, please contact us by 10pm the day before your journey. If you are only travelling on our services, you can book with us up to 4 hours ahead for journeys on the same day.

Don’t forget you can always simply ‘turn up and go’ without booking, but you may choose to book for peace of mind. We will do our best to help you on the day.

Please note: Whether you have booked assistance or not, please arrive at the station at least 20 minutes before your train is due to leave and allow more time if you need to buy a ticket.

All of our trains are wheelchair accessible, apart from our First Class accommodation on main line services.

Mobility scooters and wheelchairs need to be able to use the ramps to board the train and turn safely inside the carriage. This means that wheelchairs and scooters must be no bigger than 120 cm long by 70 cm wide. Our ramps can carry a maximum weight of 300kg (the combined weight of the scooter/wheelchair and passenger). Please see our Making Rail Accessible leaflet for more information.

Note: in 2009 a raised area of platform known as an Easier Access Area was installed at St Albans Abbey station. This reduces the gap between the platform and one of the train doors making it easier for passengers to get on and off the train.

Yes, there are four specially-created walks that centre on Abbey Line stations. Visit our events page for more information on the Abbey trail walks.

Yes. Every train has a driver, and a conductor. There is a help point at every station. Stations are well lit and mostly adjacent to housing.

Yes! As well as offering the quickest journey between St Albans and Watford by public transport at just 16 mins, the Abbey Line consistently has one of the highest reliability rates in the country, nearly always being above the national average in terms of its Public Performance Measure (PPM), the industry standard measure for reliability.

The destinations from Watford Junction include London Euston, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Birmingham, Liverpool, Gatwick, Brighton, Clapham Junction and even the Highlands of Scotland! See our Rail Connections page for further details of operators serving Watford Junction.

Please note a penalty fare system operates on the Abbey Line services. Anyone without a valid ticket will be liable to pay the penalty fare.

Please ensure that your bike does not obstruct doorways or pose a risk to other passengers.

As more people use their bikes to start or finish their journeys – in place of catching a bus, tram or underground train, we have made a temporary change to our cycle policy.
Ideally, we would like you to leave your bike at the station rather than take it on the train. But where this is not an option, we want to make it easier for you while the current public transport advice remains in place.
Remember, space is at a premium, so we may have to refuse access with your bike if the train is getting busy and / or social distancing cannot be maintained.
If you want to take your bike on the train, then:

There’s space for two bikes on board each service, completely free of charge. Many of our newer trains have a space just for cycles, so look out for that as well. If the train is quiet, the Senior Conductor may allow more bikes on.

While the Covid 19 restrictions continue to apply to public transport, we will allow full-size bikes to be taken on-board peak time trains. But remember to continue to practice social distancing in stations and on trains.

We are also suspending the restriction on taking full-size bikes on trains arriving in London Euston between 07:00 and 09:59, or departing from London Euston between 16:00 and 18:59 from Monday to Friday.

Folding cycles can be carried on any service, any time, no charge.

If you do want to take your bike on the train, especially from our busier stations, it’s worth finding out times of our quieter services

Please be considerate of others. For example, do not ride your bicycle on railway property, including platforms, because it’s dangerous to you and others. Always remember, you should give priority in accessible spaces to passengers with disabilities

Switch all bike lights off when on the railway (including on helmets), because a red light represents an instruction to a train driver to stop.

Cycle storage is available at St Albans Abbey, Park Street, Bricket Wood, Watford North and Watford Junction stations.

It is about a 20 minute walk between the two stations, or 7-10 minutes by bike. For a map of the walking/cycling route (avoiding Holywell Hill).

View map here

Network Rail are responsible for maintaining our railway stations. This includes vegetation and bridge maintenance. If you need to get in touch with Network rail to report a problem, please call on  03457 11 41 41

For more information on what they do in the local community, please visit their website at;

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/communities/living-by-the-railway/