Location Watford 2012 No Data 2014 No Data Number of platforms 2 | Managed by London Underground 2013 No Data 2015 No Data | |
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Similar Cassiobridge tube station, London Underground, Watford Stadium Halt railw, Croxley tube station, Watford Central tube station | ||
Watford vicarage road tube station
Watford Vicarage Road is a planned London Underground station to be built in Watford, Hertfordshire, to serve Vicarage Road stadium and the Watford General Hospital campus. The station is being constructed as part of the Croxley Rail Link project, a scheme to extend the Metropolitan line across the town to Watford Junction railway station. It will be served by Metropolitan line trains between Watford Junction and Central London via Baker Street. Originally the station was to be named either Watford Hospital or Watford General Hospital.
Contents
Site
Watford Vicarage Road is to be a newly constructed station on a re-opened section of the former LNWR Watford and Rickmansworth Railway line which was closed by British Rail in 1996. The station is to be located to the west of Vicarage Road, adjacent to Holywell allotments, with the platforms in the railway cutting below the road. The single-storey glass and metal-clad station building is to be at street level, with staircases and lifts providing platform access. Designs for the new station, and others on the link, have been prepared by Acanthus LW Architects.
The new station will be between the sites of two former railway stations on the old LNWR line; to the west of the former Watford Stadium Halt and to the east of the former Watford West railway station (which was located to the west of the new station site, on Tolpits Lane). It is not planned to re-open these disused stations and the platforms at both former stations will be removed or modified to accommodate the two new tracks.
Name
The name originally proposed for the station was Watford Hospital, to reflect its proximity to Watford General Hospital. Local campaigners petitioned Transport for London (TfL) to name the station after Vicarage Road Stadium, home of Watford F.C., as they felt that it was a more easily recognised local landmark. TfL stated that their policy is not to name new stations after individual roads in order to ensure geographical understanding across the whole Tube network. However, in recognition of local opinion and the wider recognition of the Vicarage Road name in association with the football club, they agreed to waive this rule. On 8 August 2013 TfL announced that they would name the station Watford Vicarage Road.