Watford High Street railway station

Watford High Street

Watford High Street Location of Watford High Street in Hertfordshire
Location	Watford
Local authority	Watford
Managed by	London Overground
Owner	Network Rail
Station code	WFH
Number of platforms	2
Fare zone	8
National Rail annual entry and exit
2004–05	0.490 million
2005–06	0.458 million
2006–07	0.496 million
2007–08	0.446 million
2008–09	0.201 million
2009–10	0.330 million
2010–11	0.837 million
1862	Opened (W&RR)
1917	Started (Bakerloo line)
1982	Ended (Bakerloo line)
Lists of stations	DLR Underground National Rail Tramlink
External links	Departures Layout Facilities Buses
London Transport portal UK Railways portal

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.

Location

Entrance to The Harlequin, located near to Watford High Street station

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.

History

The station was opened by the Watford and Rickmansworth Railway (W&RR) on 1 October 1862.

The Bakerloo Line was extended through this station to Watford Junction in 1917, but in 1982 it was cut back to Harrow & Wealdstone leaving the section north of there served only by British Rail's Watford DC Line (from Euston to Watford Junction) 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.

Services

All services to this station are operated by London Overground. 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.

Preceding station		London Overground		Following station
Watford Junction Terminus		Watford DC Line		Bushey towards Euston
	Disused railways
Preceding station		London Underground		Following station
Watford Junction Terminus		Bakerloo line		Bushey towards Elephant & Castle
	National Rail
Watford Junction		British Rail Rickmansworth Branch		Rickmansworth (Church Street)
		British Rail Croxley Green Branch		Watford Stadium
		Future routes
Preceding station		London Underground		Following station
Watford Junction Terminus		Bakerloo line Watford Junction extension		Bushey towards Elephant & Castle
		Metropolitan line Croxley Rail Link		Watford Hospital towards Baker Street or Aldgate

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

London Overground train for Watford Junction at Watford High Street Station

The Croxley Rail Link to divert the Metropolitan Line's Watford branch to Watford Junction via the disused Croxley Green branch has been heavily supported and will 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. It received the funding required in December 2011 and London Underground and Hertfordshire County Council are now applying for a Transport and Works Act (TWA) Order.

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.

External links

• Train times and station information for Watford High Street railway station from National Rail