Watford West is a disused railway station in Watford, Hertfordshire, England. It was opened in 1912 by the London and North Western Railway on the branch line from to . It last operated in 1996.
History The branch line between and was opened in 1912 by the London and North Western Railway (LNWR), connected to the Watford- line that it had acquired from Lord Ebury's Watford and Rickmansworth Railway (W&RR) in 1881. The W&RR had not been a commercial success, and the LNWR sought to improve passenger traffic by creating new connections in the area to central London. The LNWR also planned an intermediate station, initially to be named Hagden Lane, which opened as Watford West. It consisted of a single platform with a canopy and a red brick ticket office on Tolpits Lane. In the 1980s during the British Rail era, platform signs bore the name West Watford, although this is presumed to be an error.
The station was temporarily closed in 1996 before being permanently closed on 23 September 2003,The decision to accept the Closure Notice published by the Strategic Rail Authority (dated 23 March 2001) was given in a letter from the then Minister of State for Transport, John Spellar, to the Chief Executive of Network Rail, John Armitt Facilities at the station had been downgraded in the years prior to closure. At first the station was temporarily closed so the remaining station furniture, including the lampposts, drivers mirrors and the station and street-level signage, was left in situ. In 2004–05, after the station was mothballed, ten passengers purchased tickets for travel to the station.
Croxley Rail Link Plans were announced in 2005 to re-open the disused railway line as an extension of the London Underground Metropolitan line. The Croxley Rail Link was planned to link to Croxley tube station, but instead of re-opening Watford West, a new station was planned to open nearby, Watford Vicarage Road tube station. Work began in 2014 to clear the overgrown track bed in preparation for construction work on the new line. By 2017, all work had been halted due to funding problems, and the scheme has since been abandoned.
Re-opening proposal In 2026, a local campaign was launched to have part of the line brought back into passenger service and for Watford West to be re-opened. Watford councillors expressed support but emphasised that, due to financial constraints, the track bed could instead be converted into guided bus or trackless tram operation, connecting Watford to St Albans as part of the proposed Hertfordshire Essex Rapid Transit.
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Picture of Watford West station in June 1985 and of the line shortly after closure Footage of Watford West station filmed in 1990 Pictures of the Croxley Green branch in its disused state (including Watford West) Pictures of Watford West station when open and in the years after abandonment Pictures of the Croxley line, including Watford West station, taken in 2009 Croxley Rail Link - official website TfL - Croxley Rail Link