St Albans Abbey is a windswept single-platform railway station on the south
side of St Albans, Hertfordshire. The station is a dead end, the northern
terminus of the Silverlink Abbey Flyer service to Watford Junction,
which is the only service to visit the station. However, if you look on the
north side of the overgrown platform, you will see a second bay, parallel to the
open one, choked with brambles. This was where the line to Hatfield used to
run, many years ago. In those days, you could have changed here and crossed
Hertforshire from east to west by rail. The line to Hatfield, by way of St
Albans London Road - now a conference centre or something - has been designated
as a footpath and cycleway, somewhat misleadingly dubbed the Alban Trail,
suggesting it might be an old pilgrim route instead of the remains of a public
transport system. As it's an offence to trespass on the railway, walkers must
access the 'Alban Trail' by means of steps from a redundant bridge or a mddy
track beside the youth club. I, for one, would like to see the line revived as a
tramline, but it's unlikely to happen. As a result, Abbey station - which is
scarcely closer to the Abbey than St Albans City - remains a bleak, uninviting
place, which is a shame.