Watford High Street | |
---|---|
Location | Watford |
Local authority | Borough of Watford |
Managed by | London Overground |
Owner | Network Rail |
Station code | WFH |
DfT category | D |
Number of platforms | 2 |
Fare zone | 8 |
National Rail annual entry and exit | |
2017–18 | 1.364 million [1] |
2018–19 | 1.326 million [1] |
2019–20 | 1.298 million [1] |
2020–21 | 0.516 million [1] |
2021–22 | 1.064 million [1] |
Key dates | |
1 October 1862 | Opened (W&RR) |
16 April 1917 | Started (Bakerloo line) |
24 September 1982 | Ended (Bakerloo line) |
Other information | |
External links | |
WGS84 | 51°39′09″N0°23′31″W / 51.652597°N 0.391812°W Coordinates: 51°39′09″N0°23′31″W / 51.652597°N 0.391812°W |
London transportportal |
Watford High Street is a railway station in Watford, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. It is served by the Watford DC line on the London Overground network. It is the only station on the line's sole deviation from the West Coast Main Line.
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The station was opened by the Watford and Rickmansworth Railway (W&RR) on 1 October 1862, with services running from Watford Junction to Rickmansworth (Church Street). In 1912 a branch was opened to Croxley Green. The line came under the ownership of London and North Western Railway (LNWR), which was absorbed into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) in 1923, following the grouping of Britain's railway companies.
Additional rail services were introduced to Watford High Street; on 16 April 1917 the Underground Electric Railways Company of London extended its Bakerloo line through this station to Watford Junction, and in 1922 the LNWR completed the suburban Camden to Watford Junction New Line, linking Watford High Street to London Euston via the Watford DC Line (shared with the Bakerloo line).
After nationalisation in 1948, the Watford DC Line was run by British Rail (from 1986 under its Network SouthEast brand). At the height of operation around the 1950s, Watford High Street was served by the Bakerloo line, and by British Rail trains on both the Croxley Green and Rickmansworth branches, a local all-stations service to Euston and another local service to Broad Street via Primrose Hill. [2] Over the years, most of these services were gradually withdrawn. The Rickmansworth branch was a poorly used service and passenger services were terminated by BR in 1952. Croxley Green services continued as Parliamentary trains until the line closed fully in 1996. [3] On 24 September 1982, London Transport cut back the Bakerloo line to run only as far north as Stonebridge Park (reinstating the service as far as Harrow & Wealdstone in 1984). [4] London Broad Street station was closed in 1986 and trains on the Primrose Hill route were diverted to Liverpool Street until 1992, when passenger services on the Primrose Hill line were withdrawn completely. After the withdrawal of the Croxley, Bakerloo and Broad Street routes, the only remaining service running from Watford High Street was British Rail's Watford DC Line to Euston. [2]
Following the privatisation of British Rail the franchise for the Watford DC Line was taken over by National Express who ran the line under its Silverlink Metro name. In 2007 the line was brought under the control of Transport for London, who today operate it as part of the London Overground network; this service uses the 750 V DC lines for its all-stations local service with the 4th rail presently redundant except as part of the electrical return circuit.
Watford High Street station is located in the Lower High Street in Watford town centre. In the immediate vicinity around the station are a number of retail and civic amenities including the Watford Museum, containing a gallery of fine art and displays of local heritage, and the 1.4-million-square-foot (130,000 m2) atria Watford Shopping Centre (also known as the Harlequin Centre), the largest shopping centre in Hertfordshire, which attracts more than 17 million customers each year. [5] Various other shopping parks are also close to the station, including a large Tesco Extra, Waterfields Shopping Park (containing large stores such as Sports Direct and Next), as well as many stores situated on the High Street.
Watford town centre has many popular bars and clubs, such as PRYZM; the only producing theatre in Hertfordshire, the Watford Palace Theatre; as well as numerous restaurants and cafes, both chain and independent.
To the east of the railway line is the site of Benskins Brewery, the office building for which is now Watford Museum. The brewery was rail-served by sidings until 1956. [6] [7] The station is situated in a deep cutting covered by a single platform canopy. The roof of the canopy is connected to the concrete sided cutting by ornamental metal trusses.
All services to this station are operated by London Overground. It is on the Watford DC line of the network and operates with a frequency of 4 trains per hour, approximately every 15 minutes Monday to Sunday. [8]
Preceding station | London Overground | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Watford Junction Terminus | Watford DC line | Bushey towards Euston | ||
Historical railways | ||||
Preceding station | London Underground | Following station | ||
Watford Junction Terminus | Bakerloo line (1917–1982) | Bushey towards Elephant & Castle | ||
Abandoned Croxley Rail Link plan | ||||
Preceding station | London Underground | Following station | ||
Watford Junction Terminus | Metropolitan line Croxley Rail link | Watford Vicarage Road towards Baker Street or Aldgate | ||
Disused railways | ||||
Watford Junction | British Rail Rickmansworth Branch | Rickmansworth (Church Street) | ||
British Rail Croxley Green Branch | Watford Stadium Halt |
The station is served by local Routes 8, 142, 258, 306, 306B, 306C, 398, 602, W19 and W20.
Other services to alternate destinations operate from Watford town centre bus stops, which are a short distance from the station.
In 2011, a project to extend the London Underground's Metropolitan line to Watford Junction was announced. The planned Croxley Rail Link would have diverted the Metropolitan line branch across the town along a reinstated stretch of disused track of the former Watford and Rickmansworth Railway; the link would then have joined the Watford DC Line just south of Watford High Street, and Underground trains would have shared track with London Overground through to Watford Junction. [9] [10] The scheme was cancelled in 2018 due to funding difficulties. [11]
The Bakerloo line is a London Underground line that goes from Harrow & Wealdstone in suburban north-west London to Elephant & Castle in south London, via the West End. Printed in brown on the Tube map, it serves 25 stations, 15 of which are underground, over 14.4 miles (23.2 km). It runs partly on the surface and partly in deep-level tube tunnels.
Queen's Park is an interchange station on the Watford DC line and Bakerloo line served by London Overground and London Underground respectively. It lies at the southern end of Salusbury Road, near the south-east corner of the public park from which the area now known as Queens Park has taken its modern name. The station is in Travelcard Zone 2.
Willesden Junction is a railway station in Harlesden, north-west London, UK. It is served by both London Overground and London Underground services.
Wembley Central is an interchange station on the West Coast Main Line (WCML), London Overground and London Underground on the Watford DC line in Wembley, in north-west London, served by suburban services operated by London Underground and London Overground and regional services operated Southern services. It is on the east-west High Road. The station serves Wembley Stadium and the nearby Wembley Arena.
South Kenton is a station in Kenton, north-west London. The station is served by suburban services operated by London Underground on the Bakerloo line and London Overground on the Watford DC line. In the Bakerloo line, the station lies between Kenton and North Wembley stations. It is located between The Link in the Sudbury Court Estate of North Wembley, and Windermere Grove in Kenton, in the Wembley postal area.
Harrow & Wealdstone is a London Underground and railway station on the Watford DC line and West Coast Main Line in Harrow and Wealdstone in the London Borough of Harrow. It is 11 miles 30 chains (18.31 km) on the line from London Euston station. It is also the northern terminus of the Bakerloo line and the next station towards south is Kenton.
Watford Junction is a railway station that serves Watford, Hertfordshire. The station is on the West Coast Main Line (WCML), 17 miles 34 chains from London Euston and the Abbey Line, a branch line to St Albans. Journeys to London take between 16 and 52 minutes depending on the service used: shorter times on fast non-stop trains and slower on the stopping Watford DC line services. Trains also run to Clapham Junction and East Croydon via the West London Line. The station is a major hub for local bus services and the connecting station for buses to Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter. The station is located north of a viaduct over the Colne valley and immediately south of Watford Tunnel.
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) was involved in the development of railway electrification of Britain. Like the LNER and the SR the LMS took over several schemes that had been developed by its constituent companies and also completed some of its own. All were suburban lines, in London, Liverpool and Manchester, and were usually steam lines converted to electric traction. Each service is listed below, showing dates of opening and the railway responsible for its conversion.
The LNWR electric units were ordered by the London and North Western Railway for its suburban services in London. The first cars, made with Siemens equipment, arrived in 1914, and these were followed by two larger batches of units with Oerlikon equipment. The trains were formed into 3-car units, with first and third class accommodation in open saloons. Following the 1923 grouping and absorption of the line into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), similar LMS electric units, but with accommodation in compartments, were purchased to run with the Oerlikon units in 1926 and 1932. The trains were all withdrawn by 1960.
Croxley is a London Underground station located on Watford Road (A412) in Croxley Green, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, on the Watford branch of the Metropolitan line. It is the only intermediate station on the branch between Moor Park, on the main line from Baker Street to Amersham, and the terminus at Watford.
Kilburn High Road railway station is a London Overground station on the London Euston to Watford DC Line near the south end of the Kilburn High Road, London NW6 in the London Borough of Camden.
Hatch End is a railway station in the London Borough of Harrow, in north London, and in Travelcard Zone 6. London Underground's Bakerloo line trains served the station from 16 April 1917 until 24 September 1982. London Overground services on the Watford DC Line from London Euston currently serve this station.
Watford Stadium Halt railway station was a railway station in Watford, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom on the branch line from Watford Junction to Croxley Green. It served Vicarage Road stadium, home of Watford F.C., and was open only on match days.
The Watford DC line is a suburban line from London Euston to Watford Junction in Watford, Hertfordshire. Its services are operated by London Overground.
Croxley Green railway station is a disused terminus between Rickmansworth and Watford on the A412 road at the end of a short branch line.
The Watford and Rickmansworth Railway (W&RR) ran services between Watford and Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire, England. The company was incorporated in 1860; the line opened in 1862. The Rickmansworth branch was closed in 1952, and the remaining line was gradually run down and eventually closed in 1996.
Rickmansworth railway station was a London and North Western Railway (LNWR) station in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, UK. Opened in 1862, it was the terminus of a 4.5-mile (7.2 km) branch line which used to run from Watford. The station closed to passengers in 1952, although the line continued to be used as a goods line until 1967. Church Street station has since been demolished. Rickmansworth station is about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) northwest of the site of Church Street station. Opening on 1 September 1887, it continues to serve both the London Underground Metropolitan line and Chiltern Railways between Marylebone and Aylesbury via Harrow-on-the-Hill.
The Croxley Rail Link, or the Metropolitan Line Extension, is a proposed railway engineering project in the Watford and Three Rivers districts of Hertfordshire, England, that would have connected the London Overground and the London Underground's Metropolitan line at Watford Junction. If the link were to go ahead, the Metropolitan line's terminus at Watford Underground station would be closed and the line diverted and extended from Croxley to Watford Junction via a reopened section of closed line. The main proponent of the scheme has been Hertfordshire County Council but it failed to win the support of Transport for London (TfL) which owns the Watford branch. The engineering works would have consisted of the realignment of the disused Watford and Rickmansworth Railway's line between Croxley Green and Watford High Street, with the construction of a viaduct over the Grand Union Canal, River Gade and A412 road and two new stations before branching into the London Overground line near Watford High Street and continuing to Watford Junction.
Watford Central, a planned London Underground station in the centre of Watford, Hertfordshire, was to be the terminus of a proposed extension of the Metropolitan line from the present-day Watford tube station to the High Street opposite Clarendon Road. The proposed station booking hall has long gone, however, the facade was retained and a new building constructed behind it. It is now The Moon Under Water public house.
Croxley Green Light Maintenance Depot was a traction maintenance depot located in Croxley, Watford, England that provided storage and light maintenance for electric multiple units working the Watford DC line.