Watford Junction railway station
Encyclopedia
On 23 January 1975, an express train from Manchester to Euston derailed just south of Watford Junction after striking some stillage
s 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 .
to Colonial Way and thus to the Stephenson Way
M1
link road. The entrance, current access roads and near-by bus station will also be altered with the aim to improve public transport access. In 2005, Hertfordshire County Council
were seeking £17.7 million to fund the scheme.
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.
's branch to Watford Junction via the disused branch.
(Lord Adonis
) announced a plan for Hertfordshire County Council
to lease the Abbey Line from Network Rail
and for the line to be operated using tram-train
vehicles. Should the plan proceed, light rail
services would run from Watford Junction to St Albans Abbey from 2011. The line might be extended into St Albans city centre with on-street running, possibly as far as St Albans City railway station, and the possible re-instatement of the line to Hatfield.
in December 2010 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 with the anticipation of High Speed 2
.
Trains from 4 car to 8 car to help ease over-crowding further.
The station is staffed by dispatch staff for London Midland
; London Overground also maintain a Traincrew Depot here. Overground use only platforms 1-4 but also have a link onto platform 6 to be used for stock movements via the mainline towards London Euston
Off peak weekday service in trains per hour is:
Virgin Trains also operate at this station with one train per hour to Wolverhampton via Birmingham New St, these also return for set down only. Early weekday mornings and evenings Virgin also provide services to/from Liverpool Lime St, Glasgow Central and Manchester Piccadilly, and one service Saturday morning to Holyhead.
Green Line route 724
stops in the station forecourt. It runs directly to St Albans
and Harlow
from Stop 2 and Heathrow Terminal 5 via Heathrow Central and Rickmansworth station
from stops 5/6.
)
Stillage
A stillage is like a pallet or skid but with a cage or sides or some form of support specifically tailored to the material it is intended to carry. Some are designed to be stackable....
s 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
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
company goods train that had passed the station a few minutes earlier, conveying car parts from Dagenham
Dagenham
Dagenham is a large suburb in East London, forming the eastern part of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and located east of Charing Cross. It was historically an agrarian village in the county of Essex and remained mostly undeveloped until 1921 when the London County Council began...
to Halewood
Halewood
Halewood is in Merseyside, England and is located in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley. The district lies near Liverpool's southeastern boundary, bordered by the suburbs of Hunts Cross and Woolton....
. 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 .
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 A412A412 road
The A412 is a road in England that links Slough and Watford. It was previously the main artery for this corridor, prior to the construction of the M25. It provides interchange to the A40/M40 at the Denham Roundabout, the M25 in Maple Cross and the A41 north of Watford...
to Colonial Way and thus to the Stephenson Way
A4008 road
The A4008 road starts at Hatch End in the London Borough of Harrow at a roundabout on the A410. It runs North from the roundabout and is known as Oxhey Lane. After it passes over the route of the Grims Dyke and Grimsdyke Golf Course is to the East. Very soon afterwards it passes in to Hertfordshire...
M1
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
link road. The entrance, current access roads and near-by bus station will also be altered with the aim to improve public transport access. In 2005, 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...
were seeking £17.7 million to fund the scheme.
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.
Croxley Rail Link
The proposed Croxley Rail Link would divert the Metropolitan LineMetropolitan 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 Watford Junction via the disused branch.
Abbey Line tram
On 30 October 2009 the then Secretary of State for TransportSecretary of State for Transport
The Secretary of State for Transport is the member of the cabinet responsible for the British Department for Transport. The role has had a high turnover as new appointments are blamed for the failures of decades of their predecessors...
(Lord Adonis
Andrew Adonis, Baron Adonis
Andrew Adonis, Baron Adonis is a British academic, journalist, Labour Party politician and Life Peer, who was Secretary of State for Transport between 2009-2010....
) announced a plan for 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...
to lease the Abbey Line from Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
and for the line to be operated using tram-train
Tram-train
A tram-train is a light-rail public transport system where trams run both on an urban tramway network and on main-line railways to combine the tram's flexibility and availability and the train's greater speed...
vehicles. Should the plan proceed, light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
services would run from Watford Junction to St Albans Abbey from 2011. The line might be extended into St Albans city centre with on-street running, possibly as far as St Albans City railway station, and the possible re-instatement of the line to Hatfield.
London and South East Route Utilisation Strategy
The London and South East Route Utilisation Strategy Draft for Consultation submitted by Network RailNetwork Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
in December 2010 makes several suggestions for improving services to and from Watford Junction, to link the West London Line
West London Line
The West London Line is a short railway in inner West London which links lines at in the south to lines near Willesden Junction in the north. It has always been an important cross-London link especially for freight services...
more effectively with the WCML
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
and to 'free up' platform space at with the anticipation of High Speed 2
High Speed 2
High Speed 2 is a proposed high-speed railway between London and the Midlands, the North of England, and potentially at a later stage the central belt of Scotland. The project is being developed by High Speed Two Ltd, a company established by the British government...
.
West London Line Improvement
Assuming the ongoing increase in demand on the orbital route between Watford Junction and the West London Line, a significant and increase of peak capacity services is needed, as the current limited service forms the only link between the Watford Junction and Kensington Olympia corridors. This proposal suggests increasing West London Line – Watford Junction peak service to two tph, increasing present services to every 30 minutes as well as suggesting extending SouthernSouthern (train operating company)
Southern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service...
Trains from 4 car to 8 car to help ease over-crowding further.
Services
Watford Junction is under the management of London Midland, who took over from the now defunct Silverlink Trains. London Midland and Silverlink maintained a Traincrew Depot at Watford and stabled trains around the station. There are a number of sidings near the end of platform 11 which are use for storing units as well as rail freight. All platforms except 1 to 4 are electrified by 25K AC overhead lines, platforms 1 – 4 & 6 have DC electrified conductor rails.The station is staffed by dispatch staff for London Midland
London Midland
London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007....
; London Overground also maintain a Traincrew Depot here. Overground use only platforms 1-4 but also have a link onto platform 6 to be used for stock movements via the mainline towards London Euston
Off peak weekday service in trains per hour is:
- Southern using Class 377 ElectrostarElectrostarElectrostar is the name given to a series of related electric multiple-unit passenger trains manufactured by Bombardier Transportation at their Litchurch Lane Works in Derby, England...
s in four-coach formation:- 1 to Milton Keynes, calling at Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Tring, Leighton Buzzard, Bletchley, and Milton Keynes from platform 8.
- 1 to South Croydon, calling at Harrow & Wealdstone, Wembley Central, Shepherds Bush, Kensington Olympia, West Brompton, Imperial Wharf, Clapham Junction, Wandsworth Common, Balham, Streatham Common, Norbury, Thornton Heath, Selhurst, East Croydon and South Croydon from platforms 9 or 10.
- London Overground using Class 378British Rail Class 378The Class 378 Capitalstar is a type of electric multiple-unit train, part of Bombardier Transportation's Electrostar family. These trains are operating on the new London Overground network...
Capitalstars, in four-coach formation:- 3 to London , calling at , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , & London . These trains can use platforms 1 to 4 and 6. Platform 1 is usually used to stable a train. Most trains are timetabled only into platforms 3 & 4. Platform 5 has track removed and platform 6 is mainly for WCML trains.
- London Midland:
- 2 to London Euston, calling at Bushey, Harrow & Wealdstone & London Euston from platforms 9 and 10.
- 3 non-stop to London Euston from platforms 7 and 9.
- 2 to Tring, calling at Kings Langley, Apsley, Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, and Tring from platforms 8 and 9.
- 1 to Birmingham New Street, calling at Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Leighton Buzzard, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Wolverton, Northampton, Long Buckby, Rugby, Coventry, Tile Hill, Hampton-in-Arden, Birmingham International, Marston Green, and Birmingham New Street from platform 8.
- 1 to Milton Keynes, calling at Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Tring, Cheddington, Leighton Buzzard, Bletchley, and Milton Keynes from platform 8.
- 1 to Crewe, calling at Milton Keynes, Northampton, Rugby, Nuneaton, Atherstone, Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley, Rugeley Trent Valley, Stafford, Stone, Stoke-on-Trent, Kidsgrove, Alsagar, and Crewe from platform 6 or 8.
- Operated by Class 350 Desiros, and are usually formed of four, eight or twelve coaches. Tring Services are occasionally formed of eight car class 321s.
- 1 train every 45 minutes to St Albans Abbey, calling at Watford North, Garston, Bricket Wood, How Wood, Park Street, and St Albans Abbey from platform 11.
- Always operated by a four car class 321 unit.
- On Saturdays the Crewe and Birmingham trains become one train and call at Milton Keynes and Northampton where the train splits. The front four coaches call forward to Rugby, Nuneaton, Atherstone, Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley, Rugeley Trent Valley, Stafford, Stone, Stoke-on-Trent, Kidsgrove, Alsager, and Crewe. The rear four coaches call forward to Long Buckby, Rugby, Coventry, Canley, Tile Hill, Berkswell, Birmingham International, Marston Green, Lea Hall, Stechford, and Birmingham New St. These trains depart from Platform 6 or 8.
Virgin Trains also operate at this station with one train per hour to Wolverhampton via Birmingham New St, these also return for set down only. Early weekday mornings and evenings Virgin also provide services to/from Liverpool Lime St, Glasgow Central and Manchester Piccadilly, and one service Saturday morning to Holyhead.
Platforms
Platform Usage:- Platforms 1-4: Bay platforms for the three trains per hour London Overground Service to London Euston calling at all stations
- Platform 6: For the hourly Virgin trains service to Wolverhampton, and the hourly London Midland service to Crewe
- Platform 7: For the hourly London Midland service from Crewe to Euston, and Virgin services only to set down.
- Platform 8: For all other northbound London Midland services, and the hourly Southern service to Milton Keynes.
- Platform 9: For fast and stopping London Midland services to London Euston, the hourly Southern service to East Croydon and some late evening Virgin Trains.
- Platform 10: For Southern services to Kensington Olympia early morning and late evening on weekdays, and all day on Sundays. London Midland operate 2 trains at 07:55 and 08:15 to London Euston in the morning peak, whilst one terminates from London Euston at 17:55
- Platform 11: Used for the service every 45 minutes to St Albans Abbey. It is limited to four coaches.
Transport links
London bus route 142, 258, LSP route W7, W9, and other routes 5, 6A, 6D, LSP route 8, 10, 41, 80, GE3, R8, W1, W2, W20 and W19.Green Line route 724
Green Line route 724
Green Line route 724 is a high-profile limited-stop express bus service, currently operated by Arriva Shires & Essex as part of the large Green Line Coaches network. It operates between Harlow and Heathrow Airport, and is partly funded by airport operator BAA...
stops in the station forecourt. It runs directly to St Albans
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
and Harlow
Harlow
Harlow is a new town and local government district in Essex, England. It is located in the west of the county and on the border with Hertfordshire, on the Stort Valley, The town is near the M11 motorway and forms part of the London commuter belt.The district has a current population of 78,889...
from Stop 2 and Heathrow Terminal 5 via Heathrow Central and Rickmansworth station
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...
from stops 5/6.
See also
Underground station (Metropolitan Line) (Watford DC LineWatford 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....
)
- St Albans Branch LineSt Albans Branch LineThe Abbey Line is a railway line from Watford Junction to St Albans Abbey railway station. The route passes through town and countryside...