Watford DC Line

Watford Junction – London Euston
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Power system :	750 V  =
Dual track :	Yes
Legend West Coast Main Line from Glasgow Central / Edinburgh Waverley Watford Junction Watford High Street Croxley Rail Link to Croxley Bushey Carpenders Park Hatch end Headstone Lane Harrow & Wealdstone terminus Bakerloo Line Kenton South Kenton North Wembley Wembley Central Stonebridge Park Harlesden Willesden Junction reactivation of the long-distance platforms planned Kensal Green Queen's Park Bakerloo Line to Elephant & Castle Kilburn High Road South Hampstead to the North London Line (see below) Grand Union Canal London Euston

The Watford DC Line is a suburban railway line between Watford Junction and London Euston stations . It runs mainly along the West Coast Main Line and is used for the full length of trains on the London Overground . In addition, the use Bakerloo Line of the London Underground section Harrow & Wealdstone - Queen's Park with.

history

The Watford DC Line was created as an extension of the West Coast Main Line. In order to free up more timetable routes for the long-distance trains, special local traffic tracks were created and then electrified with the subway's busbar system. More and more such sections were added until 1912 when the Bakerloo Line opened to Watford Junction .

From the beginning, this route was operated by the London and North Western Railway . In 1923 this went on in the London, Midland and Scottish Railway . With the nationalization of the " Big Four " it was transferred to British Rail on January 1, 1948, and since 1982 has been part of the SouthEast network . In 1967 the parallel long-distance tracks of the West Coast Main Line were electrified, but as generally north of the Thames with overhead lines and AC voltage of 25 kV with 50 Hz. With the privatization in 1994, Silverlink Metro acquired the franchise. London Overground has been responsible for operations since 2007 .

In 1982 the Bakerloo Line trains were withdrawn from Watford Junction to Stonebridge Park after their operations had been reduced more and more to Watford. Two years later, the Bakerloo trains ran back to Harrow & Wealdstone. As a result, the return conductor rail in the middle of the track behind Harrow & Wealdstone, which was only required for the underground trains, was no longer maintained and was partially removed.

future

Extension of the Bakerloo Line

The traffic management company Transport for London (TfL) plans to run the Bakerloo Line back to Watford Junction in order to create a new transfer point for the Metropolitan Line , which will also run to Watford Junction by 2017 at the latest. With this extension, the Bakerloo Line should also replace the Watford DC Line, although the TfL speaks of underground / overground parallel operation to Watford in its 2025 future vision. In the event of a handover, the Overground would lose a train station in central London with Euston.

Primrose Hill Range

Queen's Park-Camden Road
Legend WCML & Watford DC Line from Watford Junction Queen's Park Kilburn High Road South Hampstead WCML & DC Line to London Euston Primrose Hill closed in 1992 (reactivation planned) North London Line from Richmond Camden Road NLL to Stratford

The South Hampstead and Kilburn High Road stations, which were orphaned after the transfer of most of the DC Line to the Bakerloo Line, would be led by a connection via Primrose Hill to the North London Line at Camden Road, which had been closed to passenger traffic since 1992 . A new overground connection Stratford - Queen's Park with an optional extension to Willesden Junction is to be introduced.

Metropolitan Line

As part of the Croxley Rail Link , the Metropolitan Line will leave the previous Watford terminus far outside the city by 2014/2017 and also lead to Watford Junction and use the DC Line between Watford High Street and the terminus.

business

An overground train in Harlesden

Bakerloo Line trains in Harlesden

• Watford Junction - London Euston (London Overground)
• Harrow & Wealdstone - Queen's Park - Elephant & Castle (London Underground)

Others

• The line is called Watford DC Line because the line was electrified with a direct current busbar (DC = Direct Current), while the WCML is operated with alternating current , which the trains get from an overhead line .
• The Watford DC Line, along with the North London Line / District Line section Gunnersbury - Richmond and the Chiltern Main Line between Harrow-on-the-Hill and Amersham , which is also used by the express trains of the Metropolitan Line , is the only railway line that shared by London Underground and the railroad.

location

Except for the Bushey - Watford Junction section, where the Watford DC Line makes a detour through the city center with the Watford High Street stop , it follows the WCML completely. However, only the stations Wembley Central , Queen's Park, Harrow & Wealdstone and Bushey also have platforms at the WCML - although those in Queen's Park are rarely used by regional trains of the London Midland Railway , the others regularly. In Willesden Junction, where the mainline platforms were removed in 1969, reactivation is under discussion, primarily because of the West London Line's Southern trains , which serve every WLL station except Willesden Junction.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ http://www.flickr.com/photos/darrenlewis/1579718338/
2. ↑ http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/search/4403459.Croxley_Rail_Link__complete_by_2014_/
3. ↑ http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/search/4054247.Rail_link_support_boost/