 Hello, thank you for joining me. I'm outside Watford Metropolitan Line Station. Ever since this station opened in 1925 there's been talk of closing it. The reason for that is because it ends here in this housing estate about three-quarters of a mile away from Watford Town Centre. So what we're going to do in today's video, we're going to look at how an extension to Watford Junction and to serve the general area of Watford a bit better than this would work and if and when it'll ever happen and perhaps why it hasn't yet happened. So come with me and let's explore Watford's Tube stations and railway stations past present and future. So had the Metropolitan Line been extended from Watford Station where we were just then towards Watford Town Centre, one option was to bring it this way through Casio Bray Park through the Humphrey Rept and design parkland. We've been here quite a few times because it's no stranger to railways this park but not in the size we're thinking of. There's a very good miniature railway, the Watford miniature railway, down at the bottom of the hill which we're not going to go to today, but have a look on the link in screen now. That shows you that video. So one option was to effectively make Watford Met station a through station and the line would have come this way to a station called Watford Central. The other option would have been to have closed it, bearing in mind this was 1927. So only two years after they opened it they would have closed it and taken the railway line on a new alignment into Watford Central. So the Metropolitan had proposed to open a station in the middle of Watford called Watford Central. Now what we're going to do when we get into Watford Town Centre we'll go and have a look at where that station would have been. But the problem was if they had opened that station then you'd have still had to have walked if you wanted to go to Watford Junction. So that's where the Croxley Rail Link comes into it. In 1912 there was a branch line opened to Croxley Green. There was already the line to Rittmsworth Church Street, which we have done in another video. They opened the branch line to Croxley Green and the last trains ran in 1996. And when I say the last trains it was one train a day at about six o'clock in the morning. I never had a chance to travel on it. I wish I had, but I didn't and for a long time the line was overgrown. It officially closed in 2003, but the actual last trains ran in 1996 and then a few years ago the Croxley Rail Link, which would see Watford Station close and a new viaduct built to connect with the Croxley branch that was given the go ahead. But unfortunately as things go it was cancelled and well or put on hold depending on your opinion. It hasn't happened yet. So they cleared all the track and everything which we're going to go and have a look at, but there still is no Croxley Rail Link. So if you are coming on the Metropolitan Line you've effectively got to do this what is quite a pleasant walk, but a long walk through Casher Road Park. We'll just come to the main road now. And this is where the gatehouses to Casher Road Park once stood. They were demolished when they made this road into a dual carriageway. They would have stood about here. I did cover the gatehouses in one of the videos where we went to the miniature railway Casher Road Park. So what I'm going to do now, I'm going to go into Watford Town Centre and I'm going to go and show you where Watford Central Station would have been had it been built. Here we are in Watford Town Centre now. If the Met had ever built that Watford Central Station it would have been somewhere here. There would have been a station there, Watford Central Metropolitan Line. You could have jumped on there and got a train into London, but it never happened. We're going to carry on down to the end of Watford High Street to Watford High Street Station which is open and from there we're going to find the old line to Croxley Green. So here we are at Watford High Street Station. So this is the closest still open station to Watford Town Centre. So if you got on a train here you go in that direction you'll go to London and one stop under the road you'll come to Watford Junction. Watford High Street itself is just over there. About a quarter mile that way that's where the line to Croxley Green branched off and if the Croxley Rail Link had opened would have joined. So the Metropolitan Line trains would have joined up here. They'd have stopped here at Watford High Street and then had to carried on to Watford Junction. So what I'm going to do now I'm going to walk beside the track bit a bit and we're going to go and find where the junction was and hopefully will still be at some point in the future. I'm now about a quarter of a mile away from Watford High Street Station. The railway line runs behind these houses. I'm going to take you down this little bit of a dead end road because just down here I can show you where the Croxley Line once left what are known as the DC Line. So come through to here. Here we have the DC lines. Now if you look over there you can see a gradient post so it's levelled that way to Watford and going that way it's going up a 1 in 66 gradient. Now see the bridge over there that is the line to Croxley Green and here would have been a big triangle so there'd have been a track going off that way. Over there there would have been another side of the triangle. We'll go and have a look at that in a minute so this whole area would have been a triangle. So if and when the Croxley rail link opens trains from Watford Junction, they'd call it Watford High Street, they'd go along there, they'd go under that bridge and they'd take a big curve that way around and then they'd continue through the former and future stations which we're going to go and have a look at. So we're now going to head off in that direction and we're going to try and find if we can see anything left of the other side of this triangle. Now I'm standing just south of the triangle I mentioned you can see behind me that is a railway embankment that was the southern cord of the triangle so that would have enabled trains from London to go straight across to Croxley Green and in earlier days Ritmer's Worth Church Street without the need to go to Watford Junction. Now if we walk across the road here and complete with train on the DC line so you can see where the DC lines are there possibly was a bridge here there's a lot of road improvements being put in but it would have gone along there they've demolished the embankment beyond here but that would have been the southern cord of the triangle somewhere here where all this business park has sprung up there would have been the Croxley EMU depot so it was a big depot for housing EMUs. I'm going to walk on up there where we get to a point where we can see the other side of the triangle what would have formed the Croxley rail link side of the triangle so as we come onto this new road which has recently opened you can see up there there's a bridge that takes the traffic over what will become the Croxley rail link so I'm going to walk up there when we get up there hopefully we'll get a better view of the track bed that will become the Croxley rail link so here we are at the apex of the triangle so if you look that way the embankment would have come along there we were just down there a moment ago the embankment would have come just about there joined the track bed there that way goes up to the junction where we were a few moments ago so this is where the trains will run on the Croxley rail link if and when it ever happens here's the modern bridge what I'm going to do now I'm going to take you over the bridge and so we'll see what we can see so it's been along here where there's been this big EMU depot have a look down there you can see the track bed waiting for the track relaying and the trains to return now over there is Watford General Hospital we'll get on to the stations in a minute but one of the suggestions for the name of a station was to call the station after Watford General Hospital but when it was sort of looking quite likely like this line was going to happen it wasn't actually going to be called Watford General Hospital but we'll talk about that in a moment here we have the track bed here now just over there that's where the line to Rikmansworth Church Street would have been so there'd have been after this triangle another junction there you'd have had the EMU depot here so they could have gone that way to Rikmansworth Church Street we're going to follow the line that way around towards Croxley well there we have an abandoned Watford Stadium station we're now on the Croxley Green Branch the branch that opened in 1912 and the last trains ran in 1996 so that would have been Watford Stadium station on this very narrow road which is called Watford Vicarage Road the name of Watford Stadium now if we go across the road here I'm going to show you is this site here track steel there that is where they plan to build Watford Vicarage Road Station so that would have served the Watford Stadium there'd have been two tracks the whole branch would have become double track line and you'd have got a train here and you could have served this area of Watford and of course the stadium now the bridge up there I don't suppose the camera's picking out but I can just see the lamps of Watford West station so Watford West was this side of the next bridge so it gives you an idea just how close Watford Stadium and Watford West station is to us and the plan was Watford Vicarage Road was to replace both of them they had talked about calling it Watford General Hospital now if it had been Watford General Hospital I'm not sure if it would have been here or if it had maybe been further around the corner that way um but the last when it was going to open the last thing it was going to be called was Watford Vicarage Road and this very narrow road this is Watford Vicarage Road and the stadium's nearby I'm going to continue I'm going to have to walk final way around to the next bridge and hopefully from there we'll get a better view of the former Watford West station here we are at the entrance to Watford West station it's here on a road called Tolpitz Lane so to get onto the station you're going to come along go on through here and down some steps to the platforms which if we come along here there'd have been a ticket office here where this forecourt is this would have been ticket office we come along here you look down there you just about see the railway track I'll show you the platform in a moment there's the bridge we'll go around to that bridge so you can get a view of the station itself so this also the last train ran in 1996 officially closed in 2003 you look down there it survives in a similar way to Watford Stadium you can see the platforms are still there the lamps are still there the network southeast red all but very faded the platform is there and it's just all very overgrown but a few years ago they cleared all this and it really looked you know like a station with rusty track and no trains again but as I said it hasn't ever happened that they've opened it reopened it um up there is the bridge where on the other side is Watford Stadium so if they'd open this Watford Vicarage Road it'd have been in this land between I'm not sure if there's been another entrance here they've been very useful really because they could have had an entrance at each end there'd have been two tracks so there'd have been two platforms there's plenty of room for two tracks and two platforms but as I said it hasn't happened yet all I'm going to do now is going to walk over the bridge and I'll let you see the view there you go get a better view of the of the track and looking towards Watford if I can get across the road that's going to be easier said than done I'm going to cross Talbin's Lane and I'll show you the view looking towards Crawley so yeah with me a moment it's always whenever you want to cross a road every car in Watford seems to be coming along looking both directions so it's quite busy um we'll get across and I'll show you where the track carries on and where the next station would have been so we go across the road here now if you look down there you can just see the railway track looking towards where the next station would have been it's going to be called Casio Bridge we'll go down there now and we'll go to the site and we'll see where that station was and we're also going to go and find the old terminus at Crotley Green so on we go I've now come down to the bridge over Ascot Road and just here where this construction site is on the embankment there that was where the planned Casio Bridge station would have been built at one point it was going to be called Ascot Road after the road we're on now but then they decided that Ascot Road could cause confusion with Ascot Station in Berkshire and I believe it's Transport for London's policy not to name stations after a specific road because it doesn't generally reflect the area although that said they were going to call the next station Vicarage Road but it was said because Vicarage Road is so well known as Watford Stadium so that's why that was to be called Vicarage Road this was to be called Casio Bridge so there'd have probably been maybe steps up on each side there'd have been ticket offices ticket barriers each side of of the embankment I'm not sure exactly how it not sure exactly how it would have been but that was the plan so then the embankment has been breached there they've put a road through to a business park so unfortunately that section of embankment we can no longer access there's a rather interesting little building here I believe it's part of the Sun Printers they used to be a printing factory around here and it's almost like they're show building but I don't know too much about it so anyone who does know wants to comment and tell me um yeah please please do tell me I'd love to know more about it it's quite a fascinating little building so my plan now I'm going to take you around here I'll show you where the track bed would have gone when it went to Croxley now the other thing that would of course happen here is to join it to the Metropolitan Line so when the embankment ends I think the new line would have come off there and it would have gone straight across over there I'll show you more of that in a moment because the actual Croxley Green station was slightly off where you know it would have been out of line so they never planned to open that because it had been replaced with this one Casio Bridge so we just got across this road here so this is a modern road they've put through since the railway line closed as you can see it's cut through the embankment but the new line would have come off probably crossed here somewhere across the road and gone straight over to join the existing Metropolitan Line now the other interesting thing that comes up is what would they do with what for Met station what the station we started at if the Croxley rail links ever be was ever built because most people or most of the you know impressions I get are that it would have closed but people in the area who live especially in the Casio Park area of Watford wanted to see the station remain open which I fully understand because they would have been the ones who had lost out they would have been the ones who have either have had to have walked all the way down here or walked into Watford Town Centre to get their trains into London so one option was keep Watford Met station open and perhaps say have a train every 20 minutes and have all the other trains going here or maybe a train every half an hour it has certainly had less of a service but less of a service you know is better than no service there was also talk of it possibly being retained purely for siding so they could have stabled the underground trains in there at night and that was another option I don't know what would have happened if it ceased to become a station altogether well there's two things that would have been made redundant as we come along here we're just coming up this hump here will take us over the Grand Union Canal have a look over there may just be able to see the viaducts of the Metropolitan Line into Watford had all the track closed and that been lifted that would have been made redundant so one obvious thing I think would have been to have kept it and made it into a public footpath and to see it over there now so that is the viaduct into Watford Met station that possibly could have become redundant now talking of redundant viaducts we have another bridge over there that is the bridge on the Croxley branch the Croxley Green branch that took it over the canal that would also be redundant the new bridge would have come across here somewhere right across here and there's a roundabout just down there it has crossed just before the roundabout and it was joined the Metropolitan Line up there now what I'm going to do I'm just going to go this way down onto the canal because although I want to show you where it would have joined the Metropolitan Line I want us to have a closer look at where Croxley Green station would have been so we come down here this is the Grand Union canal quite pleasant along here so somewhere like us now there potentially will be a bridge carrying the Croxley rail link and Metropolitan S trains will be you know making that sort of passing over us on trains from Watford Junction up to Baker Street what would be interesting is to see who could get to London first if you say went from Watford Junction to say Baker Street via the Met or also went into London Houston see who could get to a certain landmark in London would be an interesting experiment I don't know really which one would be quicker I expect if you got on a Pendolino stopping at Watford but that would be the quickest way but yeah not sure on that one come to here this is the Birdcage bridge that carried the line into Croxley Green so it's a very substantial bridge for the fact it only ever carried well in its latter life one train a day now no trains at all now let's just have a look if things are how they used to be go around here you used to be able to get up onto the track bed I'm not sure if we can all of the rest of the track but it was going to reopen was fenced off and this one until a few years ago yeah they fenced it off so I can't show you decide the station but you used to be able to go up there and walk along the track bed so we're not going to do that today what I'm going to do now I've shown you where you know you used to go in the 90s a lot of people who just got stung by a steam net also now got a hand that hurts a lot of people did in the 90s and northies go up there you could never get on to this bridge but you used to be able to get into the site of Croxley Green station I really don't know what's going to happen though whether this bridge will stay here forever I think it'd be nice if they kind of refurbished it made it into like a linear park they could cut all the trees down and um you know a bit like they talk about having these high lines they've got them in New York and there's talk having one in London why not have one here in Watford oh and if you look over there there's a metropolitan line train on the um the section track that would have closed had the Croxley rail link ever happened and like I said I hope it happens it'd be nice if they could retain that bit of track but as for this I don't think there's really much hope of ever seeing a train go over that bird's cage bridge again and so what I'm going to do now I'm going to go back to the road we'll go to where the entrance of um Croxley Green station was so I can show you where it ended it kind of ended a bit abruptly um sort of in the middle of nowhere not in the middle of nowhere but it just seems a fairly illogical place to end it the village of Croxley Green is further up the hill but that was served by the Metropolitan lines station which um was called Croxley because um they had already taken the name Croxley Green with this one so that's why up there there was no station the Metropolitan line station isn't called Croxley Green although it's actually in Croxley Green it's all very confusing this area around Watford so we're coming to here the viaduct would have gone across here and then joined the Metropolitan lines Watford branch just up there so I've just one last thing to show you I want to show you the entrance to Croxley Green station and for a long long time same at Watford west the station sign was there it still said Croxley Green even though and there was the British rail double arrows even though you could not get on the train there so um finally it's kind of become to a fairly anonymous existence it's just an embankment the platforms have all gone because I have been up there a few years ago when it seemed every you'd go up there and you bump into other people everyone was going up there I don't think you're really supposed to but people did um and this was the entrance just here so you can see they fence this one off as well but you used to had it been like it was a few years ago we could have walked along where they come out down here but um I'm not really sure why but he's fenced off no talk of this ever reopening but just here and look there the steps are still there those steps and there's even a lamp post in Network South East where you'd have gone up those steps up to Croxley Green station so from where the Croxley rail link may one day cross around about thank you very much for watching I hope you enjoyed this video please do feel free to like subscribe comment tell your friends and maybe one day I'll be back here making a video when it's all been built and we'll go and ride the Croxley rail link but for the time being the closest you're going to get by the metropolitan line is Watford Met station near Casa Ray Park thanks very much for watching goodbye