Watford Junction railway station
Watford Junction A | |
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National Rail annual entry and exit | |
2018–19 | 8.460 million[2] |
– interchange | 0.550 million[2] |
2019–20 | 8.436 million[2] |
– interchange | 0.550 million[2] |
2020–21 | 1.680 million[2] |
– interchange | 91,375[2] |
2021–22 | 4.127 million[2] |
– interchange | 0.242 million[2] |
2022–23 | 5.536 million[2] |
– interchange | 0.282 million[2] |
Key dates | |
20 July 1837 | Original station - Watford - opened.[3] |
5 May 1858 | Station relocated and renamed Watford Junction[3] |
1909 | Rebuilt |
1980s | Refurbished throughout |
Other information | |
External links | |
Coordinates | 51°39′49″N 0°23′45″W / 51.6635°N 0.3958°W |
London transport portal |
Watford Junction is a railway station that serves
History
In its 21 years of operation, it also served as a station for royalty; in the short period when the
The old station closed when it was replaced by a new, larger station, which opened on 5 May 1858. The new Watford Junction station was located south of St Albans Road in order to accommodate the newly constructed branch line to St Albans. The junction station was rebuilt in 1909, and was extensively redeveloped in the 1980s. The Grade-II-listed Old Station House still stands at 147A St Albans Road, a rare surviving example of architecture from the beginning of the railway age; today, the building is occupied by a second-hand car dealership.[7]
In 1862, the
From 1846, the L&BR was absorbed into the
The
With the electrification of the entire
.There is a well-known expression, North of Watford, which is used to mean the north of England, especially a place remote from London.[9] An alternative variant phrase, North of Watford Junction, was used with similar meaning in the past, referring to Watford Junction railway station.[10][11][12] The expression reflects the station's position as the last urban stop on the main railway line out of London to the north of England. In more recent years, it has been suggested that the phrase references Watford Gap services on the M1,[13] however the original saying was in existence well before its opening in 1959.[14][15][16]
Motive power depot
The LNWR built a
Redevelopment
In 1984, the Victorian station buildings were demolished and the station was rebuilt in a modern architectural style; there is a travel centre and a large office block above the station which is occupied by the lorry and bus manufacturing company Iveco. Some 19th-century waiting rooms survived, but were finally demolished in 1987.[18] To enlarge the car park and provide more space, the St. Albans branch line was realigned northwards, with the original St. Albans platforms becoming a single terminating bay now mostly used by Southern services.
The station forecourt was extensively remodelled in 2013; the horseshoe-shaped taxi rank was moved to the side of the building, creating a larger pedestrian area in front of the station entrance, and the bus station enlarged. Due to problems with the road layout, buses were unable to gain access to the bus station, and there were problems with access to the relocated car park. London Northwestern Railway are considering revising the design.[19]
Further redevelopment of the station and its surroundings is planned for the next 10 years. They may be delayed because the redevelopment of Watford Junction has been placed within the pre-qualification pool of proposed schemes by the Department for Transport.
Accidents and incidents
1954 accident
1954 Watford Junction derailment | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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On 3 February 1954, an express passenger train became derailed in Watford Tunnel due to a broken rail. The last three carriages became divided from the train as it entered the station. One of them ended up on the platform. A passing express passenger train grazed the wreckage but only received minor damage. Fifteen people were injured.[20]
1975 accident
1975 Watford Junction rail crash | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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On 23 January 1975, an express train from Manchester to Euston derailed just south of Watford Junction after striking some stillages that had fallen on to the track. It then collided with a sleeper service from Euston to Glasgow. The driver of the Manchester train was killed, and eight passengers and three railway staff injured. The stillages had fallen from a Ford company goods train that had passed the station a few minutes earlier, conveying car parts from Dagenham to Halewood. Although the wagons of the goods train were sealed on departure from Dagenham, three were found to have open doors when the train was inspected after the accident. The official enquiry ruled that the doors had been forced by thieves or vandals, probably when the train was standing at Gospel Oak.[21]
1996 accident
In August 1996, a Class 321 passenger train, operated by Network SouthEast, passed a signal at danger. An empty Class 321 coaching stock train collided with the stationary passenger train approximately 700 m south of Watford Junction.
2014 incident
On 26 October 2014, a
2016 accident
On 16 September 2016, Class 350 electric multiple unit 350 264 collided with a landslide, caused by heavy rain the previous night, at the entrance of the Watford Tunnel and derailed. Class 350 unit 350 233 then collided with the derailed train. Two injuries were reported, and trains were disrupted for three days.[23][24]
Services
London Overground
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Legend
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London Overground services at Watford Junction are operated using Class 710 EMUs.
The station is served by four trains per hour to and from
London Northwestern Railway
London Northwestern Railway services at Watford Junction are operated using Class 350 and 730 EMUs.
The station is served by two stopping trains per hour in each direction between London Euston and Tring, as well as two stopping trains per hour in each direction between London Euston and Milton Keynes Central. It is also served by an hourly semi-fast service between London Euston and Birmingham New Street via Northampton which runs non-stop to and from London Euston.[25] Additional services call during the peak hours.
Southern
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Southern services at Watford Junction are operated using Class 377 EMUs.
The station is served by one train per hour to and from East Croydon via Kensington (Olympia). The station is also served by four trains per day that extend northbound to and from Hemel Hempstead.[25]
Avanti West Coast
Avanti West Coast services at Watford Junction are operated using Class 221 DEMUs and Class 390 EMUs.
Southbound services call to set down passengers only and northbound services call to pick up passengers only. This means that Avanti West Coast services cannot be used for travel to and from London Euston.
The station is served by one train per hour in each direction to and from London Euston with northbound services generally alternating between running to Edinburgh Waverley or Glasgow Central every two hours. The station is served by two trains per day that run to and from Blackpool North instead of Glasgow Central. Additional services call during the peak hours.[25]
Caledonian Sleeper
Watford Junction is also served in both directions by the Lowland Caledonian Sleeper service between London Euston, Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central which runs on Sunday-Friday nights.[25]
The Caledonian Sleeper service also cannot be used for travel to and from London Euston. The Highland Caledonian Sleeper service does not call at Watford Junction.[27]
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
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Kings Langley or Hemel Hempstead |
London Northwestern Railway
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Harrow & Wealdstone
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Leighton Buzzard or Milton Keynes Central |
London Northwestern Railway
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London Euston | ||
Terminus | London Northwestern Railway |
Watford North | ||
Terminus | Harrow & Wealdstone |
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Limited Service |
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Milton Keynes Central | Avanti West Coast |
London Euston | ||
Carlisle | Caledonian Sleeper |
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Preceding station | London Overground | Following station | ||
Terminus | Watford DC Line
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Watford High Street towards London Euston
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Disused railways | ||||
Terminus | British Rail |
Watford High Street | ||
Network SouthEast |
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Former services | ||||
Preceding station | London Underground | Following station | ||
Terminus | Bakerloo line (1917-1982)
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Watford High Street towards Elephant & Castle
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Abandoned Plans | ||||
Preceding station | London Underground | Following station | ||
Terminus | Metropolitan line |
Watford High Street towards Baker Street or Aldgate
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Platforms
Platform Usage:
- Platforms 1-4: Bay platforms for the three trains per hour London Overground Service (Watford DC Line) to London Euston calling at all stations.
(Platform 5 was used by the Bakerloo line services of the London Underground until 1982, and removed as part of the subsequent major rebuild)
- Platform 6 (Down Fast): For the hourly Avanti West Coast service to Birmingham New Street, hourly Avanti West Coast service to Glasgow Central or Edinburgh (alternating), and fast London Northwestern Railway services northbound.
- Platform 7 (Up Fast): For fast London Northwestern Railway services to London Euston and Avanti services only to set down.
- Platform 8 (Down Slow): For slow and semi-fast London Northwestern Railway services northbound and limited Southern services to Hemel Hempstead.
- Platform 9 (Up Slow): For slow, semi-fast and fast London Northwestern Railway services to London Euston, and Southern services to East Croydon via Kensington Olympia, Selhurst, Balham and Clapham Junction.
- Platform 10: For terminating Southern services to and from Kensington Olympia and Clapham Junction. There are additional terminating services to and from East Croydon, Balham, Selhurst and South Croydon on weekdays and Saturdays. London Northwestern Railway operate 2 trains on weekdays at 07:55 and 08:15 to London Euston in the morning, whilst one train terminates from London Euston at 17:55.
- Platform 11: Used for the service every 45 minutes to St Albans Abbey.
Connections
Local buses run to destinations including Heathrow Airport, Stanmore, Uxbridge and Brent Cross in London, Amersham, Chesham and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, Hatfield, Harpenden and Hertford in Hertfordshire, Luton Airport in Bedfordshire and Harlow in Essex.
Specific routes include
The Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter shuttle bus route 311 also leaves from the station forecourt.
Future developments
Watford Junction station area improvements
There are plans to upgrade the station and its access points. The scheme includes a new
This scheme is currently in the Pre-Qualification pool, where to achieve funding a case for selection must be submitted and if successful the Watford Station redevelopments will be moved into the Development Pool where more than 24 transport projects will compete for about £600 million.[29]
Croxley Rail Link
A proposal called the Croxley Rail Link - later the Metropolitan Line Extension - would have diverted the
Proposed developments
West London Line improvement
The London and South East Route Utilisation Strategy document published by
Assuming the ongoing increase in demand on the orbital route between Watford Junction and the West London Line, a significant increase of peak capacity services is needed, as the current service forms the only link between the Watford Junction and
Crossrail
The 2011 London & South East Rail Utilisation Strategy also made recommendations for the
London Euston/Watford-Aylesbury services
The rail operator
Watford to St Albans Busway (Abbey Busway)
A Draft Rail Strategy consultation published by Hertfordshire County Council in June 2015 again considered
See also
- Watford Underground station (Metropolitan line)
- Watford DC Line)
- St Albans Branch Line
- West Coast Main Line route modernisation
References
- ^ "London and South East" (PDF). National Rail. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 March 2009.
- ^ Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
- ^ a b Butt (1995), page 242
- ^ "Network Rail Sectional Appendix Archives - London North Western Southern Section" (PDF). Network Rail.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Roscoe, Thomas; Lecount, Peter (1839). The London and Birmingham railway, with the home and country scenes on each side of the line. Charles Tilt. pp. 53–54. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
- ^ "The original Watford station". North Watford History Group. Archived from the original on 13 April 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
- ^ "Nationally Listed Buildings in Watford". Watford Borough Council. p. 103. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
- ^ "Bakerloo Line Facts". Transport for London. Archived from the original on 2 May 2007.
- ^ Longman Dictionary https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/north-of-watford Archived 23 October 2019 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Birmingham Daily Post, 8 May 1967
- ^ Birmingham Daily Post, 29 December 1970
- ^ Liverpool Echo, 1 January 1972
- ^ Brandon Robshaw,"North of Watford Gap" 2017 https://brandonrobshaw.wordpress.com/2017/08/07/north-of-watford-gap/ Archived 21 October 2019 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Manchester Evening News, 23 May 1949
- ^ Staffordshire Sentinel, 7 November 1950
- ^ Birmingham Daily Gazette, 4 February 1953
- ISBN 0-86093-542-6.
- ^ "Railway". Watford Junction community website. Watford Museum. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
- ^ Wright, Mike (27 January 2014). "London Midland to rethink Watford Junction revamp after drop-off zone complaints". Watford Observer. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
- ISBN 0-906899-50-8.
- ^ McNaughton, Lt Col I K A (16 July 1975). "Report on the Derailment near Watford Junction" (PDF). HMSO. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 August 2008. Retrieved 8 April 2009.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - ^ "Train struck and damaged by equipment cabinet door in Watford Tunnel, 26 October 2014" (PDF). Rail Accident Investigation Branch. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
- ^ "Train derailed in 'landslide' near Watford Junction". BBC News. BBC News Online. 16 September 2016. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
- ^ Ikonen, Charlotte (16 September 2016). "Hundreds rescued after train derails at Hunton Bridge, near Watford Junction". Watford Observer. Newsquest. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Table 60, 61, 65, 66, 67, 176 National Rail timetable, December 2023
- ^ "London Overground Timetable: Watford Junction to London Euston" (PDF). Transport for London. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "Caledonian Sleeper Timetable". Caledonian Sleeper. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "4.3 Watford Junction Area". Watford Borough Council. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 25 November 2008.
- ^ Local Transport Today, Issue 557, Page 7
- ^ "Croxley Rail Link update". 17 December 2014. Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
- ^ "Metropolitan Line Extension: Everything you need to know about the project". Watford Observer. 15 March 2017. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
- ^ a b "London and South East Route Utilisation Strategy Draft for Consultation" (PDF). Network Rail. December 2010 – July 2011. p. 140. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 November 2011.
- ^ a b "London and South East Route Utilisation Strategy Draft for Consultation" (PDF). Network Rail. December 2010 – July 2011. p. 149. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 November 2011.
- ^ Topham, Gwyn (7 August 2014). "New Crossrail route mooted from Hertfordshire into London". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
- ^ "Chiltern Railways". Rail Saver. Archived from the original on 8 February 2008.
If the Croxley Rail link gets the go ahead from Tfl and Hertfordshire County Council, direct services into Watford junction from Aylesbury will be likely...
- ^ "Capturing the benefits of HS2 on existing lines" (PDF). Greengauge21. 17 February 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2012.
- ^ Wood, John (March 2006). "Hertfordshire's Local Transport Plan 2006/07 – 2010/1" (PDF). Hertfordshire County Council. p. 22. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2007.
- ^ Ikonen, Charlotte. "Direct rail link between Watford and St Albans could be ripped up and converted into busway". Watford Observer. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
- ^ "Hertfordshire Rail Strategy Draft Rail Strategy consultation". Hertfordshire County Council/Arup. 10 June 2015. pp. 65–67. Archived from the original on 12 July 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
Sources
- OL 11956311M.
- Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. OCLC 22311137.
Further reading
- Nock, O.S. (1965). Britain's new railway: Electrification of the London-Midland main lines from Euston to Birmingham, Stoke-on-Trent, Crewe, Liverpool and Manchester. London: Ian Allan. OCLC 59003738.
- Nock, O.S. (1974). Electric Euston to Glasgow. Ian Allan. ISBN 978-0711005303.
- WOLMAR, CHRISTIAN (2022). BRITISH RAIL-A new History. [S.l.]: MICHAEL JOSEPH. OCLC 1246353492.
External links
- "Watford Locomotive Shed".
- "Redevelopment plans". Archived from the original on 17 January 2016.
- "Abbey Line Community Rail Partnership".
- "Public transport in Watford". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007.
- "Watford Junction at Live departures board".