Great Northern is doubling its off-peak Hertford North to Moorgate trains from Monday 14 December. The extra trains call at Bowes Park, Alexandra Palace, Hornsey and Harringay.
Great Northern will run two more trains an hour between Moorgate and Hertford North outside the rush hour from Monday 14 December. That doubles the off-peak service on the route.
The extra trains stop at every station on the way except Bayford and Crews Hill, the operator said in its announcement (Great Northern, 4 November 2026). In our area that means Bowes Park, Alexandra Palace, Hornsey and Harringay.
Great Northern said most stations on the route will get a train every 15 minutes, so passengers can “turn up and go”.
When the extra trains run
The four-an-hour service runs on weekdays and Saturdays only. The release gives these hours:
| Day | Into London | Out of London |
|---|---|---|
| Monday to Friday | Start of service to 9pm | Start of service to 8pm |
| Saturday | 7am to 9pm | 7am to 8pm |
Peak-hour services stay as they are, with more trains than the off-peak, the operator said. The release says nothing about Sundays.
The new trains will run alongside the existing half-hourly service between Stevenage and Moorgate. Skipping Bayford and Crews Hill lets them reach London three to four minutes faster from Hertford North, in 48 to 49 minutes instead of 54.
What changes at our stations
- Bowes Park is on the Hertford line only, so it should get the full four trains an hour off-peak.
- Alexandra Palace, Hornsey and Harringay are also served by Great Northern’s Welwyn Garden City trains. The extra Hertford North trains add to those. Great Northern has not published the new total for these stations.
Hornsey trains run to Moorgate via Finsbury Park and Highbury and Islington, not to King’s Cross. Our Crouch End train times page has journey times and fares from all eight stations near Crouch End.
Why now
Great Northern moved into public ownership this summer. Josh Dean, the MP for Hertford and Stortford, said in the release that the change “helps to fulfil the Government’s commitment to provide additional services from Moorgate from December this year”.
What it means for you
- Shorter waits in the daytime and on Saturdays from 14 December, if you use the Moorgate line from Bowes Park, Alexandra Palace, Hornsey or Harringay.
- Check the new times now. Great Northern says the new services are already in the National Rail journey planner.
- Evenings and Sundays do not change. The extra trains stop running into London at 9pm and out of London at 8pm.
Sources
- Off-peak train frequencies to double between Moorgate and Hertford North, Great Northern (GTR) press release, 4 November 2026: the start date, the hours, the stopping pattern, the journey times and the MP’s comment.
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