Watford West Station

Image: © Stephen McKay Taken: 12 Jan 2022

Watford West was the only intermediate station on the Croxley Green branch. The faded red paint on the lampposts tell us that it was once part of the Network SouthEast network. The 'H' frame at the end of the platform housed a mirror for driver only operation. See Image taken from the same viewpoint in 1985. The Croxley Green branch was opened in 1912, becoming an outpost of the DC electrified system running out of Euston and Broad Street. For much of the line's existence the service consisted of a peak hours shuttle to and from Watford Junction although in NSE days an attempt was made to increase patronage with an all-day service. This was not successful; the stations were not ideally located and the frequent bus services that passed closer to Watford's amenities were a better option for most potential customers. In the end the trains were 'temporarily' withdrawn in 1996 with a purely nominal road replacement. The trains were never reinstated and permanent withdrawal came in 2003 - a rare example of a railway closure in the post-privatisation period. Proposals to link the route of the branch with the Metropolitan Line - allowing Metropolitan Line trains to reach Watford Junction - are, at the time of writing, very much on the back burner.

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