Croxley Rail Link
Encyclopedia
The Croxley Rail Link is a railway engineering proposal to re-route part of a London Underground
line in Hertfordshire
, outside London
, UK
. The project would divert Metropolitan line
Watford branch services after station away from station to via intermediate stations using a reopened section of presently disused track.
The driving force behind the scheme is Hertfordshire County Council
, although it has the active support of Transport for London
(TfL), the public body which owns the current Watford branch. The proposed route was featured in a Transport for London network map for 2016. The proposed rail link route is also shown in the Transport for London Indicative 2025 Transport Map; in this map the current Watford tube station does not feature.
If the Croxley Rail Link is implemented, direct services into Watford Junction from would also be possible, linking Watford to the new developments in Aylesbury as well as the Chilterns to the commercial centre at Watford whilst also providing transport connections at the Junction to the North and other destinations.
The Croxley Rail Link is one of 23 proposed transport developments placed into the Department for Transport
's qualification Pool in February 2011.
is in a somewhat peripheral to Watford town centre, close to Cassiobury Park
. Historically it was the Metropolitan Railway
's intention to extend its Watford branch onwards into central Watford via a tunnel under Cassiobury Park. Watford Metropolitan Line station was constructed at a lower level in preparation for a cut-and-cover tunnel across the park. This plan was vetoed by the Earl of Essex
, who objected to the ventilation shafts necessary for the steam trains of that era. The planned Watford Central station building on Watford High Street, opposite Clarendon Road, still exists as The Moon under Water Public House; this building was intended to be the booking hall for the station.
Also in the Watford area was a single-track British Rail
branch line, which originally opened in 1912 as part of the Watford and Rickmansworth Railway
, ran from to . The line closed in 1996 due to low usage.
The two lines, though at their closest only about 200 metres apart, were never linked.
(TfL) tentatively committed to providing up to £18m of the total estimated costs of £65m for the project, predicting that the link would be operational by 2010. However, difficulties subsequently arose in securing the remaining funding from the Department for Transport
and a revised project submission, under new guidelines, was prepared, with a view to obtaining Programme Entry status. A business case was submitted to the DfT in February 2008, citing revised costs of £95m. This was rejected in March on the basis that no guarantee of financial backing had been received from TfL.
The scheme took a major step forward in July 2008 when the East of England Regional Assembly
declared it a "priority" among transport policies in the region and agreed to contribute £119.5m towards the estimated costs which were said to have risen to £150m. Hertfordshire County Council
also agreed to allocate £25.8m which it hoped to recover through ticket sales and other London Underground revenue. It was predicted that the link could be operational within seven years.
It was hoped that these plans - the £162 million Croxley Rail Link and the £38 million Watford Junction Interchange - would reduce congestion and boost Watford's economy.
Stuart Pile, executive member for highways, transport and rural affairs, said:
A revised business case was produced in autumn 2009 and the overall costs and scope reviewed. Following the coalition's
Comprehensive Spending Review the Croxley Rail Link was placed in the pre-qualification pool and a further submission made to the Department for Transport in January 2011. In February 2011 the Department for Transport placed the project into a qualification pool of works that would be subjected to further assessments in order to bid for funding. A final bid will be submitted to the Department in September 2011, with a decision whether to award the scheme funding made in December 2011. The project is now estimated to cost around £120m.
If the Croxley Rail Link goes ahead, it would require the construction of the "missing link" between the existing Metropolitan line and the former British Rail branch line to Watford Junction at their closest point.
. This would then join onto the former British Rail line; new track would be laid on the disused trackbed and the line would be widened from single track to double track up to Watford High Street station.
The Watford Friends of the Earth
have claimed:
Summary of stations on the route:
and Buckinghamshire
. Under this proposal, Aylesbury trains would run along an existing viaduct which connects Rickmansworth
to the Watford branch of the Metropolitan Line south of Croxley; from there, services would continue along the proposed new viaduct to the Croxley Branch Line and on to Watford Junction.
The proposal was included in a Greengauge 21
report 'Capturing the Benefits of HS2 on Existing Lines'. The report proposes the onset of High Speed Two would increase capacity on the West Coast Mainline increasing the benefits of an Aylesbury Link, "The Croxley Link, the benefits of which for Metropolitan Line services would be greatly increased by the substantial intensification of service that is planned for Watford Junction. This could also support a new service from Aylesbury and other Chiltern Line destinations to Watford Junction."
This proposal was included in a tube map
designed for internal planning purposes by London Regional Transport
in 1994.
This would benefit West Hertfordshire, as well as the residents of West Watford. The Croxley Rail Link would compliment the Health Campus as it would allow people to travel to and from the campus without a car. The Health Campus would help the case for the Rail Link as it will mean increased support and potential custom for the Croxley Rail Link.
Currently there are no plans for a station at the Health Campus as it will be served by an exit from Watford West (which may itself be called Watford General Hospital), however there is scope for a station in the Health Campus as the line passes very closely to the area set for redevelopment.
In a planning brief for the Health Campus, It is stated:
The architects charged with developing the area promised a "high quality design" and said the land could accommodate up to 1,400 flats and houses, as well as shops and offices, restaurants and a hotel. Another central feature of the development could have included a "landmark tower" and a new road over the branch line to St Albans Abbey, linking St Albans Road and Colonial Way. The road would have crossed the tracks and then run through the Homebase
and TK Maxx shopping centre, as well as providing station access to the east and a major expansion of car parking capacity. Also planned were improved bus and taxi facilities at both east and west station entrances.
- photos of the disused line
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
line in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, outside London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The project would divert Metropolitan line
Metropolitan Line
The Metropolitan line is part of the London Underground. It is coloured in Transport for London's Corporate Magenta on the Tube map and in other branding. It was the first underground railway in the world, opening as the Metropolitan Railway on 10 January 1863...
Watford branch services after station away from station to via intermediate stations using a reopened section of presently disused track.
The driving force behind the scheme is Hertfordshire County Council
Hertfordshire County Council
Hertfordshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Hertfordshire, in England, the United Kingdom. It currently consists of 77 councillors, and is controlled by the Conservative Party, which has 55 councillors, 17 Liberal Democrats, versus 3 Labour...
, although it has the active support of Transport for London
Transport for London
Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...
(TfL), the public body which owns the current Watford branch. The proposed route was featured in a Transport for London network map for 2016. The proposed rail link route is also shown in the Transport for London Indicative 2025 Transport Map; in this map the current Watford tube station does not feature.
If the Croxley Rail Link is implemented, direct services into Watford Junction from would also be possible, linking Watford to the new developments in Aylesbury as well as the Chilterns to the commercial centre at Watford whilst also providing transport connections at the Junction to the North and other destinations.
The Croxley Rail Link is one of 23 proposed transport developments placed into the Department for Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
's qualification Pool in February 2011.
History
Despite its name, the location of the present London Underground Watford stationWatford tube station
Watford is a station at the end of the Watford branch of London Underground's Metropolitan Line in the north-western part of the network in Zone 7, previously zone A.-Location and description:...
is in a somewhat peripheral to Watford town centre, close to Cassiobury Park
Cassiobury Park
Cassiobury Park is the principal public open space in Watford, Hertfordshire, in England. It comprises over and extends from the A412 Rickmansworth Road in the east to the Grand Union Canal in the west....
. Historically it was the Metropolitan Railway
Metropolitan railway
Metropolitan Railway can refer to:* Metropolitan line, part of the London Underground* Metropolitan Railway, the first underground railway to be built in London...
's intention to extend its Watford branch onwards into central Watford via a tunnel under Cassiobury Park. Watford Metropolitan Line station was constructed at a lower level in preparation for a cut-and-cover tunnel across the park. This plan was vetoed by the Earl of Essex
Earl of Essex
Earl of Essex is a title that has been held by several families and individuals. The earldom was first created in the 12th century for Geoffrey II de Mandeville . Upon the death of the third earl in 1189, the title became dormant or extinct...
, who objected to the ventilation shafts necessary for the steam trains of that era. The planned Watford Central station building on Watford High Street, opposite Clarendon Road, still exists as The Moon under Water Public House; this building was intended to be the booking hall for the station.
Also in the Watford area was a single-track British Rail
Network SouthEast
Network SouthEast was one of three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1982. NSE principally operated commuter trains in the London area and inter-urban services in densely populated South East England, although the network reached as far west as Exeter...
branch line, which originally opened in 1912 as part of the Watford and Rickmansworth Railway
Watford and Rickmansworth Railway
The Watford and Rickmansworth Railway Company was a short-lived company that ran services between Watford and Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire, England...
, ran from to . The line closed in 1996 due to low usage.
The two lines, though at their closest only about 200 metres apart, were never linked.
Funding
In 2005 Transport for LondonTransport for London
Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...
(TfL) tentatively committed to providing up to £18m of the total estimated costs of £65m for the project, predicting that the link would be operational by 2010. However, difficulties subsequently arose in securing the remaining funding from the Department for Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
and a revised project submission, under new guidelines, was prepared, with a view to obtaining Programme Entry status. A business case was submitted to the DfT in February 2008, citing revised costs of £95m. This was rejected in March on the basis that no guarantee of financial backing had been received from TfL.
The scheme took a major step forward in July 2008 when the East of England Regional Assembly
East of England Regional Assembly
The East of England Regional Assembly was the regional assembly for the East of England region of the United Kingdom. It was based at Flempton, near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. The assembly was created as a voluntary regional chamber in 1998 by the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998. The first...
declared it a "priority" among transport policies in the region and agreed to contribute £119.5m towards the estimated costs which were said to have risen to £150m. Hertfordshire County Council
Hertfordshire County Council
Hertfordshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Hertfordshire, in England, the United Kingdom. It currently consists of 77 councillors, and is controlled by the Conservative Party, which has 55 councillors, 17 Liberal Democrats, versus 3 Labour...
also agreed to allocate £25.8m which it hoped to recover through ticket sales and other London Underground revenue. It was predicted that the link could be operational within seven years.
It was hoped that these plans - the £162 million Croxley Rail Link and the £38 million Watford Junction Interchange - would reduce congestion and boost Watford's economy.
Stuart Pile, executive member for highways, transport and rural affairs, said:
“I’m delighted that the regional assembly will be pushing the Government to fund these schemes. We need to invest in our transport infrastructure if we’re going to support our economy and reduce congestion. The Department for Transport bases its funding decisions on the regional advice, so we’re optimistic that we’ll get the go-ahead and that the line can open in 2017.”
A revised business case was produced in autumn 2009 and the overall costs and scope reviewed. Following the coalition's
United Kingdom coalition government (2010–present)
The ConservativeLiberal Democrat coalition is the present Government of the United Kingdom, formed after the 2010 general election. The Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats entered into discussions which culminated in the 2010 coalition agreement, setting out a programme for government...
Comprehensive Spending Review the Croxley Rail Link was placed in the pre-qualification pool and a further submission made to the Department for Transport in January 2011. In February 2011 the Department for Transport placed the project into a qualification pool of works that would be subjected to further assessments in order to bid for funding. A final bid will be submitted to the Department in September 2011, with a decision whether to award the scheme funding made in December 2011. The project is now estimated to cost around £120m.
Proposed services
Route
Under current (2011) proposals, the link would begin at a new junction near Baldwins Lane, about a kilometre north-east of Croxley station, and be carried via a new viaduct and bridge over the Watford Road dual carriageway and the Grand Union CanalGrand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line connects London and Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks...
. This would then join onto the former British Rail line; new track would be laid on the disused trackbed and the line would be widened from single track to double track up to Watford High Street station.
Stations
The submitted proposals also detail the addition of two intermediate stations to the line - both new constructions. The existing but closed would be replaced by a new station close by. A second new station would be opened on Vicarage Road (provisionally named Watford Hospital). Both of these new stations would be provided with all full Underground facilities, with the exception of ticket machines instead of a staffed ticket office.The Watford Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth International is an international network of environmental organizations in 76 countries.FOEI is assisted by a small secretariat which provides support for the network and its agreed major campaigns...
have claimed:
"The Croxley Rail Link has a valuable role to play in access to the football ground and hospital. A new station on the Croxley Rail Link to serve the football ground and hospital is a better option than refurbishing the station on Tolpits Lane, which is currently the preferred choice of Watford Council's consultants."
Summary of stations on the route:
| Station | Status | notes |
|---|---|---|
| existing | ||
| existing | ||
| remaining closed | Area to be served by new Watford Hospital station | |
| Watford Hospital | new construction | Provisional name |
| new construction | Provisional name | |
| remaining closed | Area to be served by new Ascot Road station | |
| existing |
Aylesbury link
A further proposal is to use an existing but seldom-used chord towards via and which would allow direct services from central Watford, thus improving local public transport in HertfordshireHertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
and Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. Under this proposal, Aylesbury trains would run along an existing viaduct which connects Rickmansworth
Rickmansworth station
Rickmansworth is a London Underground and National Rail station in the town of Rickmansworth, in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire to the north-west of London...
to the Watford branch of the Metropolitan Line south of Croxley; from there, services would continue along the proposed new viaduct to the Croxley Branch Line and on to Watford Junction.
The proposal was included in a Greengauge 21
Greengauge 21
Greengauge 21 is a non-for-profit registered company that aims to investigate and develop the concepts associated with a UK high speed rail network.-Research:...
report 'Capturing the Benefits of HS2 on Existing Lines'. The report proposes the onset of High Speed Two would increase capacity on the West Coast Mainline increasing the benefits of an Aylesbury Link, "The Croxley Link, the benefits of which for Metropolitan Line services would be greatly increased by the substantial intensification of service that is planned for Watford Junction. This could also support a new service from Aylesbury and other Chiltern Line destinations to Watford Junction."
This proposal was included in a tube map
Tube map
The Tube map is a schematic transit map representing the lines and stations of London's rapid transit railway systems, namely the London Underground , the Docklands Light Railway and London Overground....
designed for internal planning purposes by London Regional Transport
London Regional Transport
London Regional Transport was the organisation responsible for the public transport network in Greater London, UK from 1984-2000. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000, the public name and operational brand of the organisation was London Transport.The organisation was...
in 1994.
Redevelopment
The proposed route of the Croxley Rail Link runs close to the Watford Health Campus, a major new development of Watford General Hospital which will also include a hotel, retail, business and residential developments. It is believed that this development will increase the need for public transport and will provide potential custom for Croxley Rail Link services.Watford Health Campus
The new Health Campus, when built, will bring new services for the local area. The benefit of these services would be boosted by the re-opening of the Croxley Green Branch Line. According to the Health Campus Website:
"A new acute hospital for West Herts with 510 beds costing around £320 million to replace the existing Watford General Hospital, New housing for key workers, A greener, cleaner environment for west Watford, New opportunities for businesses and employment, Establishment of a new value-added knowledge based industry in West Watford, An improved and enhanced stadium for Watford FC, New public realm and community facilities, 300 new homes, including homes for health and key workers, New business, leisure and recreation premises, space for new and expanding businesses, especially those linked to healthcare delivery, Hotel, leisure and hospitality services linked to a redeveloped stadium, A new combined heat and power plant."
This would benefit West Hertfordshire, as well as the residents of West Watford. The Croxley Rail Link would compliment the Health Campus as it would allow people to travel to and from the campus without a car. The Health Campus would help the case for the Rail Link as it will mean increased support and potential custom for the Croxley Rail Link.
Currently there are no plans for a station at the Health Campus as it will be served by an exit from Watford West (which may itself be called Watford General Hospital), however there is scope for a station in the Health Campus as the line passes very closely to the area set for redevelopment.
In a planning brief for the Health Campus, It is stated:
"We also believe the granting of this permission will further support the case for the Croxley Rail Link which would enable many of our staff, and visitors to come to the hospital by rail"
Watford Junction
Watford Junction was set for huge redevelopment from 2010 onwards, but the financial austerity measures of 2011 have put an end to that project for the forseeable future. (the reduced number of West Coast mainline trains now stopping at Watford Junction letter from Watford & West Herts Chamber of Commerce also casts doubt on the viability of the link). The land for the redevelopment, which is behind the station and in between the industrial estates on Imperial Way, Reeds Crescent and the main railway tracks, currently houses a concrete batching plant.The architects charged with developing the area promised a "high quality design" and said the land could accommodate up to 1,400 flats and houses, as well as shops and offices, restaurants and a hotel. Another central feature of the development could have included a "landmark tower" and a new road over the branch line to St Albans Abbey, linking St Albans Road and Colonial Way. The road would have crossed the tracks and then run through the Homebase
Homebase
Homebase is a British home improvement store and garden centre, with 350 stores across the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It is well known by its green and orange colour scheme. Together with its sister company Argos , it forms part of Home Retail Group. Homebase recorded sales figures...
and TK Maxx shopping centre, as well as providing station access to the east and a major expansion of car parking capacity. Also planned were improved bus and taxi facilities at both east and west station entrances.
External links
- Google Maps diagram of the proposed link
- photos of the disused line
- London's Abandoned Stations - Croxley Green branch
- More pictures of the line in its present state
- Pictures of the Croxley Green branchline in its final years
- An insight into the history of the branch line and its demise as well as photographs of the derelict line today
- A Blog Containing up to date details on the progess of the Line