Watford High Street railway station
Encyclopedia
Watford High Street railway station is a railway station in Watford
, Hertfordshire
, United Kingdom
. It is served by the Watford DC Line
on the London Overground
network.
Watford High Street station is located in the Lower High Street in Watford Town Centre, very close to the Harlequin Shopping Centre
, the largest in Hertfordshire
, attracting more than 17 million customers each year. Also close to the station is a large Tesco
superstore, Waterfields Shopping Park (containing large stores such as Sports Direct
and Next). Various other shopping parks are located in close vicinity, as well as many stores situated on the High Street and those which surround.
Watford Town Centre has many popular bars and clubs, such as Oceana
; the only producing theatre in Hertfordshire
, the Watford Palace Theatre
; as well as numerous restaurants and cafes, both chain and independent.
(W&RR) on 1 October 1862.
The Bakerloo Line
was extended through this station to in 1917, but in 1982 it was cut back to leaving the section north of there served only by British Rail
's Watford DC Line
(from to ) which is now part of the London Overground
network; this service uses the 750 V DC lines for its "all stations" local service with the 4th (600 Volts DC) rail now redundant.
. It is on the Watford DC Line
of the network and receives trains every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes; northbound and southbound. In evenings and on Sundays there is a half-hourly service in each direction.
The Croxley Rail Link
to divert the Metropolitan Line
's branch to via the disused branch has been heavily supported and would see the return of London Underground
trains, albeit formed of the Metropolitan Line's surface stock rather than the deep level stock of the Bakerloo Line
.
There has also been plans, however, to re-extend the Bakerloo Line back to Watford Junction. This would result in another London Underground
line servicing the station. If this was to happen it has been stated that London Overground
services will be withdrawn from the Watford DC Line
completely.
Watford
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
, 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...
, United Kingdom
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...
. It is served by the Watford DC Line
Watford DC Line
The Watford DC Line is a commuter railway line from London Euston to Watford Junction. Services on the line are operated by London Overground....
on the London Overground
London Overground
London Overground is a suburban rail network in London and Hertfordshire. It has been operated by London Overground Rail Operations since 2007 as part of the National Rail network, under the franchise control and branding of Transport for London...
network.
Location
Harlequin Shopping Centre
The Harlequin Centre, in the centre of Watford, is the biggest shopping centre in Hertfordshire, in the United Kingdom, and is visited by over 17 million customers each year...
, the largest 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...
, attracting more than 17 million customers each year. Also close to the station is a large Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
superstore, Waterfields Shopping Park (containing large stores such as Sports Direct
Sports Direct
Sports Direct International plc is a British retailing group. Founded in 1982 by former county squash coach Mike Ashley, the company is now the UK's largest sporting retailer through a number of retail subsidiaries and sports equipment brands. Although now a publicly traded company on the London...
and Next). Various other shopping parks are located in close vicinity, as well as many stores situated on the High Street and those which surround.
Watford Town Centre has many popular bars and clubs, such as Oceana
Oceana (Nightclub)
Oceana is a chain of nightclubs in the United Kingdom owned and managed by Luminar Leisure. There are Oceana venues in Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Kingston, Leeds, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Plymouth, Southampton, Swansea, Watford and Wolverhampton....
; the only producing theatre 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...
, the Watford Palace Theatre
Watford Palace Theatre
Watford Palace Theatre, opened in 1908, is an Edwardian Grade II listed building on Clarendon Road, Watford.- Refurbishment :In September 2004 the theatre re-opened after a two year £8.8million Lottery funded refurbishment, which included more public space, two bars, a daytime café, air cooling and...
; as well as numerous restaurants and cafes, both chain and independent.
History
The station was opened by the Watford and Rickmansworth RailwayWatford and Rickmansworth Railway
The Watford and Rickmansworth Railway Company was a short-lived company that ran services between Watford and Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire, England...
(W&RR) on 1 October 1862.
The Bakerloo Line
Bakerloo Line
The Bakerloo line is a line of the London Underground, coloured brown on the Tube map. It runs partly on the surface and partly at deep level, from Elephant and Castle in the south-east to Harrow & Wealdstone in the north-west of London. The line serves 25 stations, of which 15 are underground...
was extended through this station to in 1917, but in 1982 it was cut back to leaving the section north of there served only by British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
's Watford DC Line
Watford DC Line
The Watford DC Line is a commuter railway line from London Euston to Watford Junction. Services on the line are operated by London Overground....
(from to ) which is now part of the London Overground
London Overground
London Overground is a suburban rail network in London and Hertfordshire. It has been operated by London Overground Rail Operations since 2007 as part of the National Rail network, under the franchise control and branding of Transport for London...
network; this service uses the 750 V DC lines for its "all stations" local service with the 4th (600 Volts DC) rail now redundant.
Services
All services to this station are operated by London OvergroundLondon Overground
London Overground is a suburban rail network in London and Hertfordshire. It has been operated by London Overground Rail Operations since 2007 as part of the National Rail network, under the franchise control and branding of Transport for London...
. It is on the Watford DC Line
Watford DC Line
The Watford DC Line is a commuter railway line from London Euston to Watford Junction. Services on the line are operated by London Overground....
of the network and receives trains every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes; northbound and southbound. In evenings and on Sundays there is a half-hourly service in each direction.
Transport links
Directly served by buses W20, W19, LSP route 8, 2, 602, W1, W9, W7 and London bus routes 142, 258. Other services to alternate destinations operate from Watford Town Centre bus stops, which are a short distance from the station.Future
Croxley Rail Link
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...
to divert the 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...
's branch to via the disused branch has been heavily supported and would see the return of London Underground
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...
trains, albeit formed of the Metropolitan Line's surface stock rather than the deep level stock of the Bakerloo Line
Bakerloo Line
The Bakerloo line is a line of the London Underground, coloured brown on the Tube map. It runs partly on the surface and partly at deep level, from Elephant and Castle in the south-east to Harrow & Wealdstone in the north-west of London. The line serves 25 stations, of which 15 are underground...
.
There has also been plans, however, to re-extend the Bakerloo Line back to Watford Junction. This would result in another London Underground
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 servicing the station. If this was to happen it has been stated that London Overground
London Overground
London Overground is a suburban rail network in London and Hertfordshire. It has been operated by London Overground Rail Operations since 2007 as part of the National Rail network, under the franchise control and branding of Transport for London...
services will be withdrawn from the Watford DC Line
Watford DC Line
The Watford DC Line is a commuter railway line from London Euston to Watford Junction. Services on the line are operated by London Overground....
completely.