The original 1837 Watford railway stationThe new railway line, opened in 1837, approached Watford over the River Colne on a viaduct (Thomas Roscoe, 1839)
The first railway station to open in Watford was situated on the north side of St Albans Road, approximately 200 metres (220 yd) further up the line from the present-day station. This small, single-storey red-brick building was built in 1836–7, when the first section of the London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) was opened between London and Boxmoor. The station provided first and second-class waiting rooms, a departure yard, a carriage shed and engine house. The platforms were situated in a deep cutting which was accessed via a staircase.[5]
In its 21 years of operation, it also served as a station for royalty; in the short period when the Dowager Queen Adelaide was resident at Cassiobury House (c.1846-49), this station was remodelled to provide her with a royal waiting room, and it was also reportedly used by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert on a trip to visit Sir Robert Peel in November 1843, when they travelled by road from Windsor Castle to take a train from Watford to Tamworth.[6]
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]
From 1846, the L&BR was absorbed into the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) and Watford Junction was now run by this large, ambitious company. Seeking to compete with local buses and trams, the LNWR built an additional suburban line from Euston to Watford in the early years of the 20th century, known as the Watford DC line. This veered away from the main line at Bushey to loop around Watford to pass through the High Street station. A second suburban branch line was also built from High Street west towards Croxley Green to serve new housing developments in that area. Both branches were later electrified as part of this improvement plan, on the same DC three-rail system. The Rickmansworth branch was connected to the Main Line, via two through platforms, with a junction to the north; these platforms have since been partly built over and their remaining southern sections form part of the present DC lines terminus. At one time, tube-style trains were used on the branches to counter the low voltage caused by the lack of a sub-station near Rickmansworth.
The Bakerloo line was extended to Watford Junction in 1917, giving a shared service north of Willesden Junction with the main line electric trains which served Euston and Broad Street stations. However, since 1982[8] the line north of Harrow & Wealdstone has only been served by what is now the London Overground service from Euston station; this service uses these DC lines for its all-stations local service.
Oyster card capability was extended to this station on 11 November 2007 on both the London Overground and Southern; it was extended to London Midland services on 18 November 2007. However, the station is outside London fare zones 1–9 and special fares apply.
With the electrification of the entire West London line in the 1990s, it became practical to run services from Watford Junction to Clapham Junction, allowing passengers to cross London without changing trains. Southern operated an hourly service from Milton Keynes, now starting from Watford Junction, to East Croydon with connections to Brighton and Gatwick.
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
Watford Locomotive Depot on 27 January 1951.
The LNWR built a locomotive depot at the station in 1856, which was replaced by a larger building in 1872 and was further enlarged in 1890. It was closed by British Railways in March 1965.[17]
Redevelopment
Watford Junction station in 1956, before rebuilding
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.
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]
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]
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 Class 350 electric multiple unit on the 06:42 service from Milton Keynes Central to London Euston, operated by London Midland struck the door of a lineside equipment cabinet and suffered damage to a set of doors; however, no one was killed or injured. The RAIB investigated the incident, and concluded that the lineside cabinet door had not been properly secured during maintenance work the previous night. The investigation also noted that the maintenance crew were likely suffering from fatigue due to a pattern of consistent night-shift work, regular overtime, and short-term sleep deprivation.[22]
2016 accident
On 16 September 2016, Class 350electric 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]
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.
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]
Fast and slow lines at Watford Junction: a Virgin Trains Euston-Wolverhampton service & a London Midland stopping serviceThe terminus of the Lioness line at Watford Junction
Platform Usage:
Platforms 1-4: Bay platforms for the three trains per hour London Overground service (Lioness 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.
Specific routes include London bus routes 142, 258 and non-London Arriva Shires & Essex routes 20, 320, 321, 322 and 725 as well as other Intalink routes 306 (school journeys), 328, 336, 352, 501, 635, W1, W2, W3, W4, W20 and W30.
Outline map of the changes to be brought about by the Croxley Rail Link
Watford Junction station area improvements
There are plans to upgrade the station and its access points. The scheme includes a new multi-storey car park and a new access road to the station, connecting the A412 to Colonial Way and thus to the A4008M1 link road.[28]
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]
A proposal called the Croxley Rail Link - later the Metropolitan Line Extension - would have diverted the Metropolitan line's Watford branch via the disused Croxley Green branch to terminate at Watford Junction. It was expected to open to passenger service in 2020,[30] but due to funding issues, the project has been halted.[31]
Proposed developments
West London Line improvement
The London and South East Route Utilisation Strategy document published by Network Rail in July 2011 makes several suggestions for improving services to and from Watford Junction, to link the West London line more effectively with the WCML and to 'free up' platform space at London Euston with the anticipation of High Speed 2.[32]
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 Kensington Olympia corridors. This proposal suggests increasing West London Line – Watford Junction/Milton Keynes Central peak service to three tph and increasing present off peak services from an hour to every 30 minutes as well as suggesting extending Southern trains from 4 car to 8 car to help ease overcrowding further.[32]
Crossrail
Outline map of the possible future Crossrail extensions as recommended in the 2011 RUS[33]
The 2011 London & South East Rail Utilisation Strategy also made recommendations for the Crossrail lines then under construction in central London to be extended northwards into Hertfordshire via Watford Junction, with Tring and Milton Keynes identified as potential termini.[33] The report recommends the addition of a tunnel in the vicinity of a proposed station at Old Oak Common connecting the Crossrail route to the West Coast Main line. The diversion of rail services through central London would enable a direct link from stations such as Watford Junction to West End stations such as Tottenham Court Road and would alleviate congestion at Euston station; Crossrail services currently planned to terminate at Paddington due to capacity constraints would also be able to continue further east, allowing for a more efficient use of the line. This proposal has not been officially confirmed or funded, although an announcement made in August 2014 by the transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin indicated that the government was actively evaluating the possibility of extending Crossrail as far as Tring and Milton Keynes Central.[34]
London Euston/Watford-Aylesbury services
The rail operator Chiltern Railways proposed in 2008 that a new east–west direct rail route from Watford Junction to Aylesbury could be operated via the new Croxley Rail Link and the northern section of the London to Aylesbury Line.[35] The proposal, or a connection from Aylesbury to London Euston, has been supported by the transport advocacy group Greengauge 21.[36] A 2006 report by Hertfordshire County Council mentioned the possibility of a link running as far as Amersham.[37]
Watford to St Albans Busway (Abbey Busway)
A Draft Rail Strategy consultation published by Hertfordshire County Council in June 2015 again considered light rail proposals for the Abbey Line but also recommended that the railway track be removed and replaced with a guided busway.[38][39]
^Griffiths, Roger; Smith, Paul (1999). The directory of British engine Sheds and Principal Locomotive Servicing Points: 1. Oxford: Oxford Publishing Co. p. 106. ISBN0-86093-542-6.
^"Railway". Watford Junction community website. Watford Museum. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 28 January 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...
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. ISBN978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC22311137.
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. OCLC59003738.
Nock, O.S. (1974). Electric Euston to Glasgow. Ian Allan. ISBN978-0711005303.
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