London Underground and Watford Borough Council sumbit new Met line extension plans
Credit WHLWhile Metropolitan Line Extension funding appears to have dried up, plans for a new station in Watford are still being amended and updated.
Mayor Sadiq Khan has set out his long-term plans to improve the tube, DLR, rail, tram and bus services across London, with a focus on lowering emissions and creating jobs until 2050.
However the Met line extension to Croxley has been left out of plans despite mentions to improvements on most other tube lines, extensions to the Northern and London Overground lines and the opening of a new Elizabeth line.
Discussions between London Underground and Watford Borough Council, plans outlining amendments to the design and layout of the proposed Vicarage Road station have been submitted.
Met Train heads from Croxley To Watford
Proposed changes
- “back of house” escape routes to the north and south of the station
- revisions to cycle stand arrangements
- amendments to external lighting
- Vicarage Road bridge deckspan will also be removed and replaced
- new vehicle restraint systems
A planning document on the council’s website suggests proposals to sell the line to London Underground once it is completed.
The £284 million project looks to connect the Metropolitan Line in Croxley to several new stations across Watford.
Concerns over the Met line extension were first brought to the fore after a letter from TfL’s head of London rail investment and LU line extensions Robert Niven to Conservative London Assembly member Gareth Bacon revealed the Department for Transport left a £50 million gap in funding for the extension.
A DfT spokesman said: “Croxley Rail Link will deliver significant transport benefits and significantly boost economic growth in Watford and the wider north-west London area.
“We wrote to the mayor in January saying that we expect TfL to take forward the scheme in line with the agreements put in place in 2015. This remains our position.”
A spokesperson for the mayor of London said: “This project is outside London and therefore responsibility for delivering it ultimately lies with the government.