MLX Metropolitan Line Extension (Go-ahead for Croxley Link)

Not me, I blame Dr Beeching.

But there is precedent for a shuttle service. Mill Hill East runs direct services only during the peaks. Off-peak it is a frequent shuttle service, and the reason given is to improve reliability. Shuttle service isn't so bad if the interchange station has a frequent and reliable service.

Where is the Watford Observer thread. I can find nothing on their website reporting yesterday, and the live coverage ends on Tuesday.

Here's a thought - I would not be surprised to discover once the link is open that the bigger passenger flow to WJ is from the Rickmansworth direction - Harrow, Wembley and central London already have direct services to Watford Junction. There is almost certainly insufficient capacity through Watford HS to cope with an acceptable service frequency on both these flows as well as the Euston dc lines service, so why not have an Amersham (or (Aylesbury, or Chesham) to Watford Junction service and keep the existing Met service to the Cassiobury Park station, with same-platform interchange between the two available at Croxley?

There has been talk of integrating the Abbey flyer with the Croxley link. Yes, it would look tidy, but is the cost justified by the amount of through traffic? I would imagine even if there were a direct St Albans - Rickmansworth service, he vast majority of its users would be joing or leaving it at Watford Junction, either as a destination in its own right or for interchange with LM, WCML, or dc lines services. (The same thing happens at Wimbledon on the Thameslink services - it is purely operating convenience which dicates that through services run between the Tooting line and the Sutton line).

To travel through WJ would entail a greatly increased ticket price. They could gate platforms 1-4(5) off, but then you could interchange to LOROL there at no premium. Mind you, if you are going to do that you might as well change at High Street...

Correct - but that's because the little traffic there is for Watford Met can by catered for by changing at Moor Park. Watford Junction will attract far more custom.

Sorry if I wasn't clear - I was not suggesting any change to the Amersham/Chesham services. What I had in mind was that, instead of diverting the existing Watford service to run to Watford Junction, we kept the Baker Street - Watford service, and have a new service from Watford Junction to Rickmansworth (or some point north thereof). Passengers from Croxley still have their direct service to Baker Street, passengers at Ascot Road and Watford West can get to Harrow, Wembley and London by changing at either Croxley or Watford High Street using a same- or cross-platform interchange.


Like this? I would expect the two lines to Watford Junction would angle towards each other, as the top end of the DC lines could in any case do with a bit more room.

Of course, the diagram (Beck never called it a map) is not intended to show representative distances, only how things are joined together.

Just been looking at the Watford North Curve and Rickmansworth to Watford question.

Although there was a Rickmansworth to Watford shuttle when the branch first opened this disappeared - not sure of the date. But I did remember there had been another service and dug out the May 2nd 1955 Met Line timetable. On Sundays there was roughly a 15 minute London to Watford service but with odd 30 minute gaps. About every other train was routed via Rickmansworth with a 4 minute reversal time. I have to assume this was to give Rickmansworth a better service rather than providing a Rickmansworth to Watford "shuttle" as the Sunday trains from London to Aylesbury were only every 45 minutes. And there were no Sunday British Railways trains from Marylebone to Aylesbury apart from the odd train going beyond Aylesbury and some of those only stopped at Harrow.

Is a Rickmansworth (or further north) service to Watford Junction viable? I would have to guess that at best it would be only every 30 minutes. Arriva have recently revamped their services between Rickmansworth to Watford to provide a more local service rather than relying on extensions to the longer distance 320/321 routes presumably to improve reliability. The combined service is every 10 minutes for most of the day. They pass the entrance to Croxley Business Park and some also go via Watford Hospital then go into Watford Town Centre thus running parallel to the Croxley Link. But they take at least 30 minutes whereas a train service would be around 15 mins. The 336 Amersham (or beyond) to Watford via Rickmansworth bus only runs every hour.

Indeed - that map is rather out of date and also shows a number of projects which have since been scrapped.

It would be very tough to extend the bay to operate any sort of shuttle to Watford MET. Rickmansworth is terrible to turn trains round and as you say it is now unlikely any alterations could be made.

When do we hear the result?

What a motley bunch - Mr Fish and The Sea Cadets sounds like a Rock Band!

XF

Certainly is Metman! A couple of Fridays ago Watford was shut down due to a failure, many Watford line trains coming across to Rickmansworth to reverse in amongst the service there, all during the PM peak......was a very interesting night

Would you say there's enough space at Moor Park to put in reversing sidings between the tracks north and/or south of the station? Ignoring the signalling gear to the south, of course.

That was going on as well! ;D

Reversing at Ricky must be a nightmare. First, you'd have to detrain your Northbound terminating service on Platform 2 (Southbound), as the only cross over is to the south of the station. This means you'd have to wait for a gap in the southbound LU and Chiltern service. Then you'd have to change ends, blocking the Southbound line, whilst the punters board the train OR try and stop them boarding the train before you closed up and moved into the sidings to change ends. Nightmare!