Watford Junction

Watford Junction
Watford Junction Location of Watford Junction in Hertfordshire
Location	Watford
Local authority	Borough of Watford
Managed by	London Midland
Owner	Network Rail
Station code	WFJ
DfT category	B
Number of platforms	10
Accessible	Yes
Fare zone	W
National Rail annual entry and exit
2011–12	5.184 million
– interchange	0.539 million
2012–13	6.092 million
– interchange	0.545 million
2013–14	6.413 million
– interchange	0.562 million
2014–15	6.884 million
– interchange	0.537 million
2015–16	8.190 million
– interchange	0.568 million
Key dates
20 July 1837	Original station - Watford - opened.
5 May 1858	Station relocated and renamed as Watford Junction
1909	Rebuilt
1980s	Refurbished throughout
Other information
Lists of stations	DLR Underground National Rail Tramlink
External links	Departures Layout Facilities Buses
WGS84	51°39′49″N 0°23′45″W / 51.6635°N 0.3958°W / 51.6635; -0.3958Coordinates: 51°39′49″N 0°23′45″W / 51.6635°N 0.3958°W / 51.6635; -0.3958

Watford Junction is a railway station that serves Watford, Hertfordshire. The station is on the West Coast Main Line (WCML) to London Euston and the Abbey Line, a branch line to St Albans. Journeys to London take between 16 and 52 minutes depending on the service used: shorter times on fast non-stop trains and slower on the stopping Watford DC line services. Trains also run to East Croydon and Clapham Junction via the West London Line. The station is a major hub for local bus services and the connecting station for buses to the Harry Potter studio tour. The station is located north of a viaduct over the Colne valley and immediately south of Watford Tunnel.

The first railway station to open in Watford was situated on the north side of St Albans Road, approximately 200 metres (220 yd) further up the line from the present-day station. This small, single-storey red-brick building was built 1836-7 when the first section of the London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) was opened between London and Boxmoor. The station provided first and second-class waiting rooms, a departure yard, a carriage shed and engine house. The platforms were situated in a deep cutting which was accessed via a staircase. In its 21 years of operation it also served as a station for royalty; in the short period when the Dowager Queen Adelaide was resident at Cassiobury House (c.1846-49), this station was remodelled to provide her with a royal waiting room, and it was also reportedly used by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert on a trip to visit Sir Robert Peel in November 1843, when they travelled by road from Windsor Castle to take a train from Watford to Tamworth. The old station closed when it was replaced by a new, larger station, which opened on 5 May 1858. The new Watford Junction station was located south of St Albans Road in order to accommodate the newly constructed branch line to St Albans. The junction station was rebuilt in 1909, and was extensively redeveloped in the 1980s. The Grade-II-listed Old Station House still stands at 147A St Albans Road, a rare surviving example of architecture from the beginning of the railway age, and today the building is occupied by a second-hand car dealership.