Extra Hitchin to Kings Cross AM service announced

PRESS RELEASE FROM ALISTAIR STRATHERN MP

FRIDAY 6^th FEBRUARY 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Alistair Strathern, MP for Hitchin, celebrated the news that an additional peak time stopping train service from Hitchin would be returning after representations from his office. 

Passengers travelling from Hitchin and surrounding stations will benefit from the reinstatement of the morning stopping service to London King’s Cross, following recent concerns raised about its removal during the latest timetable changes.

The service, which previously departed Hitchin at 08:50 and made all intermediate stops via Welwyn, will officially resume from Monday, 9 February.

The restored service will operate as follows:

0845 Letchworth Garden City → London King’s Cross, calling at:

• Hitchin – 08:50

• Stevenage – 08:55

• Knebworth – 08:59

• Welwyn North – 09:03

• Welwyn Garden City – 09:07

• Hatfield – 09:11

• Potters Bar – 09:17

• New Barnet – 09:22

• Alexandra Palace – 09:27

• Finsbury Park – 09:32

• London King’s Cross – 09:40

The reinstatement comes after constituents had flagged to Strathern the impact of not having this service. He then wrote to Govia Thameslink and met with them to underline the impact this was having on local commuters and students alike, after its removal left a gap of over an hour between stopping services over the peak morning time window. 

It comes as part of the MPs wider work to push for improvements in local rail services, including additional drivers for local lines, investment in more reliable signalling capacity, and the rollout of contactless ticketing at Hitchin station. 

Alistair Strathern MP said:

“Residents made clear how important this connection is for their morning commute, and I’m pleased that it will now be back in place. 

“While there is still more work to do to improve rail reliability and accessibility across the network, this is a positive step for those who rely on this route. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and helped make the case for reinstating the service.”