Watford DC line

Watford DC line
Watford DC line
	Class 710 at Harrow and Wealdstone in 2022
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Network Rail
Locale	Greater London ; Hertfordshire ;
Termini	London Euston ; Watford Junction ;
Stations	19
Service
Type	Rapid transit ; suburban rail ;
System	London Overground ; London Underground ;
Operator(s)	Overground: Arriva Rail London ; Underground: Transport for London ;
Depot(s)	Stonebridge Park ; Willesden ;
Rolling stock	Overground: Class 378 / Class 710 ; Underground: 1972 Stock ;
Technical
Number of tracks	Two
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	Third rail, 750 V DC ; Fourth rail, 750 V DC (Bakerloo line);
Route map
	Legend
	Abbey line
	to St Albans Abbey
	to Rickmansworth (closed 1952)
	and Croxley Green (closed 1996)
	(see also never-built Croxley Rail Link)
	Metropolitan line
	London–Aylesbury line
	North London line
	to Richmond
	West London line
	to Clapham Junction
	North London line to Stratford
	via Camden Road and Dalston Kingsland
	Metropolitan line
	Jubilee line
	This diagram: view ; talk ; edit ;

Last updated April 04, 2024

The Watford DC line is a suburban line from London Euston to Watford Junction in Watford, Hertfordshire. Its services are operated by London Overground. In February 2024 TfL announced a re-branding as the Lioness line.^[1]

The "DC" in the title refers to line being electrified using direct current. This was done in the early twentieth century with conductor rails to be compatible with the four-rail system used by the Underground and, at the time, the North London Line; currently, the line uses a third rail system, with a fourth rail available on the section shared with the Bakerloo line. By contrast, the WCML uses overhead alternating current.

History

Services on this line began when London and North Western Railway (LNWR) completed the Camden to Watford Junction new line in 1912, to provide additional suburban capacity and more outer-suburban services running non-stop to Euston.^[2] It incorporated part of the LNWR Rickmansworth branch (formerly the Watford and Rickmansworth Railway) between Watford Junction and Watford High Street Junction and part of the original slow main line between Queen's Park and South Hampstead stations; two single-track tunnels take the line from South Hampstead to Camden, whence the line reaches Euston station by the main-line tracks. Prior to 1912, at which time the entire route was finally electrified, services were steam operated. Although the operation of the line is mostly self-contained, connections at Watford Junction and Camden allow other trains onto it, a facility used occasionally with trains diverted from the West Coast Main Line should an alternative diversionary route be not available.

Signalling

The line opened with conventional semaphore signalling mechanically operated from signal boxes at each station, this system remained in use after electrification.

The London, Midland and Scottish Railway introduced an automatic electric signalling system in the early 1930s over most of the route and some signal boxes were abolished.^[3] A similar system was also used for a shorter period between Bromley-by-Bow and Upminster now part of the District line. The very closely spaced mix of automatic and semi-automatic signals, repeater signals, and auxiliary calling-on aspects was intended to let trains to proceed, after a set delay, at low speed past "failed" signals on track with no junctions without the need to contact a signalman, but this could lead to a nose-to-tail queue of trains as they all reached the location of a real line blockage.

Train stops were provided (except at repeater signals) to allow London Electric Railway (LER) trains to operate over the line without the special provision of a second man; this enabled the same practice to be continued with all other Underground and main line stock subsequently allocated to this line and which was provided with trip equipment.

Signal boxes remaining in use in the early 1970s included:

Kilburn High Road (closed when the crossover moved to the down side of the station)
Queens Park No.3 (closed when control passed to Willesden)
Willesden New Station
Stonebridge Power House (abolished after LU Bakerloo line depot opened)
Harrow No.2

Normally Kilburn High Road and Stonebridge Power House which controlled only plain track with crossovers were switched out and only Queens Park, Willesden and Harrow boxes were staffed for at least part of the day, to deal with junction and siding traffic. In the early 1980s manual control of signalling was needed for a few months after dragging gear on a train destroyed many electric train-stops which were of a design almost confined to this line (LU train-stops are mostly electro-pneumatic). By this time the signal boxes at Stonebridge Power House and Kilburn High Road had been abolished. Emergency crossovers at other locations were controlled by ground frames enclosed in structures the size of a garden shed.

In 1988 the LMS system was replaced by a more standard system controlled from a new signal box, Willesden Suburban, and the remaining local boxes were abolished. The new system had solid state interlocking, but far fewer signals; as a consequence the maximum traffic capacity of the line was severely reduced. In the early 1960s there were headways of less than 2 minutes between Harrow & Wealdstone and Willesden Junction stations, the section of line used by nearly all services.

In the early 2000s Willesden Suburban was closed and control passed to Wembley Main Line Signalling Centre.

Electrification

The original electrification was on a fourth rail system, similar to that now used by London Underground, which allowed LER trains to use the new line. Power was supplied from the railway's own power station at Stonebridge Park until the 1960s when it was closed, after which it has been obtained from public supplies. As originally installed, there was provision for interconnection of the high voltage section of the power station to adjacent public supplies for output or intake but this ceased when national supplies were standardised at 50 Hz.^[4]

In the late 1950s, the original electric multiple units built for the line were replaced by new Class 501 rolling stock. These were in turn displaced in the mid 1980s by Class 313 units. The line is now operated by London Overground Class 710 "Aventra" units.

In the 1970s, the track and the rolling stock used on this line and the North London Line were changed to use a modified version of the BR standard third rail system, with the fourth rail (now bonded to the running rail used for returning traction current) left in place on the sections of line shared with LU Bakerloo line trains. North of Harrow & Wealdstone, now the limit of LU operation, the fourth rail has in most places been dropped onto the sleepers and remains bonded, thus leaving the resistance of the current return path unaltered. The fourth rail remains in the normal position from Queens Park to Kilburn High Road up platform, where a trailing crossover between those two stations is maintained in use to allow reversal of Bakerloo line trains unable to gain access to London Underground at Queens Park, due to planned work or other reasons. The line is currently electrified (like all shared lines) using the standard compromise voltage of 660 V DC. This falls comfortably within the lower permanent voltage limit for the Class 378 "Capitalstar" stock (500 V) and the upper permanent voltage limit for the 1972 tube stock (760 V).^[5] The line has now been converted to 750 V DC for the new Class 710 "Aventra".

A consequence of converting to third rail with the fourth rail provided only for LU use was that both planned and emergency use of the line by other 3rd-rail-capable trains was possible. Ignoring recent use of Class 508 trains, this last took place when Class 416 trains were diverted to Willesden Junction Low Level station when part of the North London Line was closed for a number of weeks in the late 1980s.

The electricity grid Willesden substation in Acton Lane, Park Royal supplies 11 kV, three-phase power to ten substations on the line, located at Camden, South Hampstead, Queens Park, Willesden, Harlesden, Wembley, Kenton, Harrow, Hatch End, Bushey and Watford.

Growth

The construction of a curve to link Rickmansworth (Church Street) to the Euston main line was planned. A new line would have then run south to Wembley, then passed under the main line and run on the east side to Euston, terminating in a loop.^{[ citation needed ]}

The loop was dropped on grounds of cost and, instead, services terminated at Euston main platforms or ran on the North London Railway to Broad Street. Pressure from local groups led to the building of a curve near Bushey, diverting the main route for new services over the existing branch line north to Watford Junction instead of south to Rickmansworth. In 1917 LER Bakerloo line services were extended over the new line from Queen's Park station to Watford Junction.

Decline

Bakerloo line services were cut back in stages and ceased north of Stonebridge Park station in 1982; in 1984 they were restored as far as Harrow and Wealdstone.

The Croxley Green branch fell into disuse in the 1990s, and is now derelict. In the early 2000s the county council proposed to divert the Metropolitan line over the branch and on to Watford Junction (for more information see Croxley Rail Link).

Operators

The line was operated by British Rail (from 1986 as Network SouthEast) until privatisation. In the Network SouthEast period, it was briefly rebranded as the Harlequin line, after the stations of Harlesden and Queen's Park.^[6]^[7]

From March 1997 until November 2007, the line was operated by Silverlink. In November 2007 Transport for London (TfL) took full management control of all the intermediate Watford DC line stations as part of the London Overground (LO) service with staffing during opening hours, automatic ticket gates and planned station refurbishment to the standard of the Tube network.^[8]

Services

The local passenger services which run over the DC line are:

Watford Junction to Euston, operated by London Overground; services run through Watford High Street and all stations to Euston; at Willesden Junction trains stop at the low-level platforms;
Harrow & Wealdstone or Stonebridge Park to Queen's Park, operated as the Bakerloo line; these services share track with Overground services as far as Queen's Park, before branching off onto dedicated underground tracks via central London to Elephant and Castle.

During the partial closure of the North London Line in autumn 2008, London Overground's Monday to Saturday services were diverted away from Euston, running instead via Camden Road onto the North London Line and on to Stratford; the Sunday service was normal.

London Northwestern Railway also run a fast service between Watford Junction and London Euston along the West Coast Main Line (which runs parallel to the Watford DC Line), calling at Bushey and Harrow & Wealdstone before running non-stop to Euston. The service offers a quicker alternative to the all-stations London Overground service, especially as the operator now accepts TfL's Oystercard ticketing.^[9]^[10] Some peak services to/from Euston are advertised as starting/terminating at South Hampstead or Queens Park or Harrow and Wealdstone in order to persuade passengers to take the frequent faster services.

Discontinued services

Past services have included:

Watford Junction (or Bushey & Oxhey or Harrow & Wealdstone) to Broad Street (later to Liverpool Street) via Hampstead Heath or Primrose Hill ^[11]
Croxley Green to Euston or Broad Street
Croxley Green to Watford Junction
Watford Junction (or Bushey & Oxhey) to LU Bakerloo line via Queens Park^[11]

When the south curve of the triangular junction between Watford High Street and Bushey existed, a few trains used Croxley Depot (now demolished), which was shared by LU and BR trains.

An interchange with the Stanmore branch line once existed at Harrow & Wealdstone. This short branch line was closed in 1964 as part of the Beeching cuts; the empty trackbed is still visible at Harrow & Wealdstone adjacent to the eastern ticket office.^[12]

Future

Metropolitan line

Another proposal to bring London Underground service to Watford Junction was the Croxley Rail Link,^[13] which envisaged diverting the Watford branch of the Metropolitan line along a re-opened stretch of track to the west of Watford, effectively reinstating the former Croxley Green to Watford Junction service. Underground trains would then join the DC line at Watford High Street, potentially forming an interchange either with London Overground or the Bakerloo line, depending on the outcome of other projects. Funding for this project was agreed during November 2015,^[14] however after cost overruns and disagreements over funding sources, work on the project stopped in 2017, and it was confirmed in 2018 that the project would not be going ahead in its current form.^[15]^[16]

Naming of London Overground service

In July 2023 TFL announced that it would be giving each of the six rail lines, including the Watford to Euston route, new names by the end of 2024.^[17]^[18]^[19] In February 2024, it was confirmed that the Watford DC line would be named the Lioness line (to honour the England women's national football team who became European champions at Wembley Stadium in 2022) and would be coloured yellow on the updated network map.^[20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan line</span> London Underground line

The Metropolitan line, colloquially known as the Met, is a London Underground line between Aldgate in the City of London and Amersham and Chesham in Buckinghamshire, with branches to Watford in Hertfordshire and Uxbridge in Hillingdon. Printed in magenta on the tube map, the line is 41.4 miles (66.7 km) in length and serves 34 stations. Between Aldgate and Finchley Road, the track is mostly in shallow "cut and cover" tunnels, apart from short sections at Barbican and Farringdon stations. The rest of the line is above ground, with a loading gauge of a similar size to those on main lines. Just under 94 million passenger journeys were made on the line in 2019.

The Bakerloo line is a London Underground line that runs 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 23.2 kilometres (14.4 mi). It runs partly on the surface and partly through deep-level tube tunnels.

The North London line (NLL) is a railway line which passes through the inner suburbs of west, north-west, north, and north-east London, England between Richmond in the south-west and Stratford in the east, avoiding central London. Its route is a rough semicircle.

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 Queen's Park has taken its modern name. The station is in Travelcard Zone 2.

Willesden Junction is an interchange station located in Harlesden, north-west London, for London Underground and London Overground services. The station also borders the London Borough of Ealing, near the Old Oak Lane conservation area in the East Acton ward.

Harlesden is a Network Rail station on Acton Lane in northwest London, served by London Overground and by London Underground Bakerloo line trains. The railway line here is the border between the Harlesden and Stonebridge residential area in the east, and the Park Royal industrial estate to the west. The southern end of Willesden Brent Sidings separates the station from the West Coast Main Line.

Stonebridge Park is a London Overground and London Underground station in Tokyngton and Stonebridge, north-west London. It is on both the London Overground Watford DC line and London Underground Bakerloo line. It is located on Argenta Way, and is named after the nearby junction connecting the North Circular Road (A406) with the Harrow Road (A404).

Wembley Central is an interchange station in Wembley, North West London for London Underground and London Overground services on the Watford DC line and National Rail services on the West Coast Main Line.

North Wembley is a railway station on the Watford DC line and Bakerloo line in North Wembley, north-west London. The station is served by London Overground and London Underground services. On the London Underground’s Bakerloo line, it is between South Kenton and Wembley Central stations. The station is located on the south side of East Lane, part of the London Borough of Brent, serving residents of North Wembley and western parts of Wembley Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Kenton station</span> London Underground and railway station

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.

Kenton is a railway station on the Watford DC line and the Bakerloo line, situated on Kenton Road in Kenton, north-west London. The station is served by London Overground and London Underground services. It has an out of station interchange (OSI) with Northwick Park station on the London Underground's Metropolitan line. On the London Underground’s Bakerloo line, the station is between Harrow & Wealdstone and South Kenton stations.

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 (28 km) 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. 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 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.

South Hampstead railway station is on Loudoun Road in the London Borough of Camden. It is served by London Overground services on the Watford DC line. It is about 550 yards (500 m) south west of Swiss Cottage Underground station.

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.

Bushey is a railway station in Hertfordshire which serves Bushey and Oxhey. It is situated on the West Coast Main Line, 5 miles (8 km) north of Harrow & Wealdstone, on an embankment. Immediately north of the station, the railway crosses Watford's Lower High Street over Bushey Arches Viaduct and shortly afterwards crosses the River Colne on another viaduct.

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.

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.

References

↑ Matters, Transport for London | Every Journey. "London Overground's new look". Transport for London. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
↑ Hall, Arthur. "The Oerlikon Electric Trains". Our Oxhey. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
↑ "LMSR New Lines signalling". www.davros.org. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
↑ Marsden, Colin J. (2008). The DC Electrics. ISBN 9780860936152. OCLC 318668763.
↑ BS EN 50163:2004+A3:2022 Railway applications. Supply voltages of traction systems. BSI Group. 14 October 2022. ISBN 978 0 539 14248 8.
↑ Crozier, David (27 March 2015). "BR launches Operation Sparkle". Watford Observer. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
↑ Johnson, Marc. "25 years after Clapham". Rail Engineer. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
↑ "Safety boost as London Underground to take control of 11 Silverlink stations". Transport for London. 5 December 2006. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
↑ Marius, Callum (27 February 2022). "All the stations 'outside fare zones' on the Tube and Rail map". My London. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
↑ "Tickets FAQs". London Northwestern Railway. Archived from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
1 2 Catford, Nick; Pearson, David (18 May 2017). "Disused Stations: Croxley Green Triangular Junction and Depot". Disused Stations. Archived from the original on 5 December 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
↑ "Harrow & Wealdstone - Stanmore Village BR". www.abandonedstations.org.uk. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
↑ "Croxley Rail Link". tfl.gov.uk. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
↑ UK, DVV Media. "Metropolitan Line Extension funding agreed". railwaygazette.com. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
↑ McIntyre, Fiona (26 January 2018). "London mayor 'effectively abandons' £284M Met line extension". New Civil Engineer. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
↑ Russell, Rachel. "The story of the Met Line extension project so far". Watford Observer. Archived from the original on 16 April 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
↑ "Naming London Overground lines". Transport for London. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
↑ "London Overground lines to be given names". BBC News . 1 July 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
↑ "London Overground lines to be given unique names". BBC News . 25 August 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
↑ London Overground: New names for its six lines revealed, BBC News, 15 February 2024

External links

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[1] Matters, Transport for London | Every Journey. "London Overground's new look". Transport for London. Retrieved 15 February 2024.

[2] Hall, Arthur. "The Oerlikon Electric Trains". Our Oxhey. Retrieved 11 February 2024.

[3] "LMSR New Lines signalling". www.davros.org. Retrieved 11 February 2024.

[4] Marsden, Colin J. (2008). The DC Electrics. ISBN 9780860936152. OCLC 318668763.

[5] BS EN 50163:2004+A3:2022 Railway applications. Supply voltages of traction systems. BSI Group. 14 October 2022. ISBN 978 0 539 14248 8.

[BR_launches_Operation_Sparkle-6] Crozier, David (27 March 2015). "BR launches Operation Sparkle". Watford Observer. Retrieved 23 August 2015.

[7] Johnson, Marc. "25 years after Clapham". Rail Engineer. Retrieved 24 August 2015.

[silverlink-8] "Safety boost as London Underground to take control of 11 Silverlink stations". Transport for London. 5 December 2006. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2015.

[9] Marius, Callum (27 February 2022). "All the stations 'outside fare zones' on the Tube and Rail map". My London. Retrieved 11 February 2024.

[10] "Tickets FAQs". London Northwestern Railway. Archived from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2024.

[:0-11] 1 2 Catford, Nick; Pearson, David (18 May 2017). "Disused Stations: Croxley Green Triangular Junction and Depot". Disused Stations. Archived from the original on 5 December 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2024.

[12] "Harrow & Wealdstone - Stanmore Village BR". www.abandonedstations.org.uk. Retrieved 12 February 2018.

[13] "Croxley Rail Link". tfl.gov.uk. Retrieved 24 March 2018.

[14] UK, DVV Media. "Metropolitan Line Extension funding agreed". railwaygazette.com. Retrieved 24 March 2018.

[15] McIntyre, Fiona (26 January 2018). "London mayor 'effectively abandons' £284M Met line extension". New Civil Engineer. Retrieved 11 February 2024.

[wo-croxley-16] Russell, Rachel. "The story of the Met Line extension project so far". Watford Observer. Archived from the original on 16 April 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2018.

[17] "Naming London Overground lines". Transport for London. Retrieved 11 February 2024.

[18] "London Overground lines to be given names". BBC News . 1 July 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2024.

[19] "London Overground lines to be given unique names". BBC News . 25 August 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2024.

[20] London Overground: New names for its six lines revealed, BBC News, 15 February 2024

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