The long walk for passengers leaving northbound trains at Hatfield Station is necessary for their own safety, according to rail chiefs.

The Old Hatfield Residents Association has calculated that in the nine years it has been asking for trains to stop closer to the footbridge on Platform Three, passengers have walked an extra 144,000 miles.

They were hoping that new technology known as Selective Door Opening would enable trains to stop safely nearer the bridge, but train operator Govia Great Northern described this as a “red herring”. Spokesman Roger Perkins said: “All this does is tell a train how long a platform is so that the correct number of doors open; it will not prevent those doors from opening over an empty track if the train stops short.

“However, when we begin introducing the new Moorgate trains, these will all be six carriages long instead of the three coaches sometimes found today, which will mean a shorter walk for passengers.”

“We understand why some passengers will find this frustrating but safety must come first. This is why trains began stopping further up the platform during the previous franchise, after discussions with the independent regulator, the Office of Rail and Road, and Network Rail.”