The station once had a crossing loop and a second platform that could accommodate long excursion trains. Many Edwardian families from London came here to enjoy the fresh air, woodland, and two large funfairs that once stood nearby.
The station building is the only surviving original building on the line. Long disused, the building has been restored and turned into a tea room and cafe. Responsibility for the line, including Bricket Wood, passed in November 2007 from Silverlink to London Midland.
In the 1950s, in response to fears of Soviet military action, plans were prepared for the construction of twenty-five atom-bomb-proof control bunkers[2] away from expected target areas. Only five[3] were completed; the one at Bricket Wood is situated in the trees between the station and Railway Cottages. It was built c. 1954 in order, in the event of war, to take over the running of the railway network from the London Euston control room.[4]
As of 2014, only two remained[3] in England. The control centre built at Bricket Wood is a post-war Standard District Control Building Type L built, measuring roughly 11m x 29m. Of reinforced concrete construction, it has a single protected doorway in each of the shorter walls. This would appear to be the sole surviving example of this type in England; one other survives in Scotland, at Burntisland.
The typical off-peak service on all days of the week is one train per hour in each direction between Watford Junction and St Albans Abbey. This is increased to a train approximately every 45 minutes in each direction during the peak hours.[5]
Installation of Oyster card readers on the stations along the branch is a possibility, although other ticketing options exist.[citation needed]
Restoration of the crossing loop, which would facilitate trains running every 30 minutes, is being considered by the local authorities and Network Rail.[citation needed]
