Watford Junction  |
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| Location | |
| Place | Watford |
| Local authority | Watford |
| Coordinates | 51°39′49″N 0°23′45″W / 51.6635°N 0.3958°WCoordinates: 51°39′49″N 0°23′45″W / 51.6635°N 0.3958°W |
| Operations | |
| Station code | WFJ |
| Managed by | London Midland |
| Platforms in use | 10 (4 DC Line (bays), 4 Main Line, 1 Southern (bay), 1 St. Albans Line) |
| Live arrivals/departures and station information from National Rail |
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| Annual rail passenger usage | |
| 2004/05 * | 4.066 million |
| 2005/06 * | 4.244 million |
| 2006/07 * | 4.458 million |
| 2007/08 * | 4.445 million |
| History | |
| May 1858 | Opened |
| 1909 | Rebuilt |
| 1980s | Refurbished throughout |
| National Rail - UK railway stations | |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |
| * Annual passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Watford Junction from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. |
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Watford Junction station is a railway station in Watford, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. Located a short distance from the town centre, it is served by the West Coast Main Line (WCML), the Watford DC Line to Euston, currently operated by London Overground services and a branch line to St Albans. Journeys to London take between sixteen and fifty-two minutes depending on the service used. Trains also run to East Croydon via the WCML and the West London Line through Kensington Olympia and Clapham Junction.
All platforms are accessed through ticket barriers.
Major redevelopment work of the station and its surroundings is planned over the next 10 years.
Contents |
History
The first station in Watford was north of St Albans Road, but Watford Junction opened with the line to St Albans on 5 May 1858. The station was rebuilt in 1909, and was extensively redeveloped in the 1980s.
Previous services also ran from the West side of the station to branches serving Croxley Green and Rickmansworth (Church Street), both eventually being electrified on the same system as the DC line to Euston, at one time using tube trains to mitigate the effect of the voltage-drop caused by the lack of a sub-station near Rickmansworth. The Rickmansworth branch pre-dated the DC line and was connected to the Main Line via two through platforms with a junction to the north; these platforms have since been partly obstructed by building over and the remaining Southern sections now form part of the DC line terminus.
The Abbey Line originally terminated at a through platform adjacent to the Down Slow Main Line but was relocated further East to allow increased car parking; this was before the branch line was electrified.
The Bakerloo Line was extended to Watford Junction in 1917, providing shared services with mainline electric trains which served Euston and Broad Street stations. However since 1982 [1] 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 further extended to London Midland services on 18 November 2007. However, the station remains outside of the Oyster Travelcard Zones.
1975 accident
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Date and time: | 23 January 1975 : 2330 |
| Location: | Watford Junction railway station |
| Rail line: | West Coast Main Line |
| Cause | Obstruction on line |
| Statistics | |
| Trains: | 2 |
| Deaths: | 1 |
| Injuries: | 11 |
| List of UK rail accidents by year List of UK rail accidents by death toll |
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On 23 January 1975, an express train from Manchester to Euston was derailed just south of Watford Junction, having struck a number of stillages that had fallen on to the track. It then came into collision 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.[2]
Future developments
Watford Junction station area improvements
Plans are in place to overhaul and upgrade the station and its access points. The scheme includes a new multi storey car park to be built and the construction of a new access road to the station, connecting the A412 to Colonial Way and thus to the Stephenson Way M1 link road.[3] The entrance, current access roads and near-by bus station will also be altered with the aim to improve public transport access.[4] In 2005, Hertfordshire County Council were seeking £17.7 million to fund the scheme.[5]
Croxley Rail Link
The proposed Croxley Rail Link would divert the Metropolitan line's Watford branch to Watford Junction via the disused Croxley Green branch. It might also see the first appearance at the station in revenue service of LU surface stock, operating from Baker Street.[6] Transport for London had tentatively committed £18m towards the scheme's costs, but the agreement of the Department for Transport to provide the remaining funds is presently on hold.[7] A completion date for this would be around 2013. The total cost is estimated to be £145 million and Hertfordshire County Council has revealed a support and funding plan while insisting that the long-delayed Croxley Rail Link will eventually be constructed. The proposed link has gained the support of the East of England Regional Planning Panel. This support could help the project receive £119.5 million from the Department for Transport. Watford Borough Council plans to contribute up to £26 million to the project which it hopes to get back through ticket sales and other London Underground revenue.[8]
Gallery
 View looking north showing trains in Silverlink Metro (now London Overground) platform 4 and Virgin Trains platform 6 |
 Class 377 unit operated by Southern on Brighton services shown waiting in bay platform 10 |
| Preceding station |   London Overground |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminus | Watford DC Line |
towards Euston
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| National Rail |
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| Crewe | First ScotRail Highland Caledonian Sleeper (northbound only) |
London Euston | ||
| Carlisle | First ScotRail Lowland Caledonian Sleeper |
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| Southern
Milton Keynes - East Croydon
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| Milton Keynes Central | London Midland London - Crewe |
London Euston | ||
| Watford North | London Midland Abbey Line |
Terminus | ||
| Kings Langley | London Midland West Coast Main Line |
Bushey | ||
| Milton Keynes Central or Rugby or Coventry |
Virgin Trains West Coast Main Line |
London Euston | ||
| Disused railways | ||||
| Preceding station |  London Underground |
Following station | ||
| Terminus | Bakerloo line
(1917-1982)
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towards Elephant & Castle
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| Terminus | British Rail Rickmansworth Branch |
Watford High Street | ||
| Terminus | British Rail Croxley Green Branch |
Watford High Street | ||
| Proposed | ||||
| London Underground |
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| Terminus | Metropolitan line |
towards Baker Street or Aldgate
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| Terminus | Bakerloo line |
towards Elephant & Castle
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See also
- Watford Underground station (Metropolitan Line)
- Watford High Street (Watford DC Line)
- St Albans Branch Line
References
- ^ Line facts | Transport for London
- ^ McNaughton, Lt Col I K A (16 July 1975) (PDF), Report on the Derailment near Watford Junction, HMSO, http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/DoE_Watford1975.pdf, retrieved 2009-04-08
- ^ "4.3 Watford Junction Area". Watford Borough Council. http://www.ldf.watford.gov.uk/portal/ldf/cs/cspo?pointId=1195909745407. Retrieved 2008-11-25.
- ^ "Local Transport Plan – Major Schemes" (PDF). Hertfordshire County Council. http://www.hertsdirect.org/infobase/docs/pdfstore/ltp2section12.pdf. Retrieved 2008-11-25.
- ^ "Watford Junction Interchange". Hertfordshire County Council. http://74.125.77.132/search?q=cache:yWFV7yHN1QMJ:www.hertsdirect.org/yrccouncil/civic_calendar/archive/Transport%2520Panel_4/WatfordJunctionreportTP150205.doc+www.hertsdirect.org/yrccouncil/civic_calendar/+archive/Transport+Panel_4/WatfordJunctionreportTP150205.doc&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=uk. Retrieved 2008-11-25.
- ^ "Croxley Rail Link". Transport for London. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/2053.aspx. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
- ^ "Croxley Rail Link hits the Sidings". Watford Observer. 2008-03-29. http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/2153485.croxley_rail_link_hits_the_sidings/. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
- ^ "Rail link plans get support". Watford Observer. 2008-08-09. http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/localnews/3580845.Rail_link_plans_get_support/. Retrieved 2008-08-10.
External links
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