Watford West | |
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![]() The station in September 1985. | |
Location | Watford |
Local authority | Watford |
Grid reference | TQ098955 |
Railway companies | |
Original company | London and North Western Railway |
Pre-grouping | London and North Western Railway |
Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway |
Key dates | |
15 June 1912 | Station opened |
22 March 1996 | Services ceased |
25 March 1996 | Substitute bus service commenced |
23 September 2003 | Official closure |
Other information | |
Coordinates | 51°38′55″N0°24′51″W / 51.6485°N 0.4143°W |
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Watford West is a disused railway station in Watford, Hertfordshire, England. It was opened in 1912 by the London and North Western Railway on the branch line from Watford Junction to Croxley Green. It last operated in 1996.
The branch line between Watford Junction and Croxley Green was opened in 1912 by the London and North Western Railway (LNWR), connected to the Watford-Rickmansworth (Church Street) line that it had acquired from Lord Ebury's Watford and Rickmansworth Railway (W&RR) in 1881. The W&RR had not been a commercial success, and the LNWR sought to improve passenger traffic by creating new connections in the area to central London. The LNWR also planned an intermediate station, initially to be named Hagden Lane, which opened as Watford West. It consisted of a single platform with a canopy and a red brick ticket office om Tolpits Lane. In the 1980s during the British Rail era, platform signs bore the name West Watford, although this is presumed to be an error. [1]
The station was temporarily closed in 1996 before being permanently closed on 23 September 2003, [2] Facilities at the station had been downgraded in the years prior to closure. At first the station was temporarily closed so the remaining station furniture, including the lampposts, drivers mirrors and the station and street-level signage, was left in situ. [3] [4] [1] In 2004–05, after the station was mothballed, ten passengers purchased tickets for travel to the station. [5]
Plans were announced in 2005 to re-open the disused railway line as an extension of the London Underground Metropolitan line. The Croxley Rail Link was planned to link Watford Junction to Croxley tube station, but instead of re-opening Watford West, a new station was planned to open nearby, Watford Vicarage Road tube station. Work began in 2014 to clear the overgrown track bed in preparation for construction work on the new line and the on-street signage was removed at around this time. [6] [7] By 2017, all work had been halted due to funding problems, and the scheme has since been abandoned. [8] [9] [10]
Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
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Croxley Green Line and station closed | Network SouthEast Croxley Green Branch | Watford Stadium Halt Line and station closed |