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Harrow & Wealdstone station

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Harrow & Wealdstone is an interchange station located in Harrow and Wealdstone in the London Borough of Harrow. It is situated on the Bakerloo line of the London Underground, of which it is the northern terminus; the Lioness line of the London Overground; and on the West Coast main line (WCML) for National Rail services operated by London Northwestern Railway and Southern.

Harrow & Wealdstone London Underground London Overground National Rail
Harrow & Wealdstone station entrance from The Bridge
Harrow & Wealdstone is located in Greater London
Harrow & Wealdstone
Harrow & Wealdstone
Location of Harrow & Wealdstone in Greater London
LocationWealdstone
Local authorityLondon Borough of Harrow
Managed byLondon Underground[1]
OwnerNetwork Rail
Station code(s)HRW
DfT categoryC1
Number of platforms6
AccessibleYes[2]
Fare zone5
London Underground annual entry and exit
2019Decrease 4.66 million[3]
2020Decrease 3.03 million[4]
2021Decrease 2.08 million[5]
2022Increase 3.23 million[6]
2023Increase 3.54 million[7]
National Rail annual entry and exit
2018–19Decrease 3.713 million[8]
– interchange Steady 0.252 million[8]
2019–20Decrease 3.651 million[8]
– interchange Decrease 0.218 million[8]
2020–21Decrease 1.266 million[8]
– interchange Decrease 60,199[8]
2021–22Increase 2.366 million[8]
– interchange Increase 0.127 million[8]
2022–23Increase 2.805 million[8]
– interchange Increase 0.337 million[8]
Key dates
20 July 1837Opened (L&BR)
18 December 1890Opened Stanmore branch line (L&NwR)
16 April 1917Started (Bakerloo line)
8 October 1952Train crash
5 October 1964Closed Stanmore branch line (BR)
24 September 1982Ended (Bakerloo line)
4 June 1984Restarted as terminus (Bakerloo line)
Listed status
Listed featureEast side/bridge
West side/platforms
Listing gradeII
Entry number1253982[9]
1253986[10]
Added to list6 September 1989
13 July 1990
Other information
External links
Coordinates51°35′33″N 0°20′08″W / 51.5925°N 0.3355°W / 51.5925; -0.3355
London transport portal

The station is 11 miles 30 chains (18.31 km) along the WCML from London Euston station.[11] It is located between The Bridge (which joins the southern end of High Street) and Sandridge Close, with entrances leading to both. It is one of the oldest stations in the London region still in existence.[12] The Harrow and Wealdstone rail crash of 1952, which killed 112 people, occurred at the station and remains the worst peacetime rail disaster in the United Kingdom.

History

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Location of the Harrow & Wealdstone station
 
Harrow & Wealdstone station in 1916

The station was opened by the London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) as Harrow on 20 July 1837 in what was then rural Middlesex.[13] At the time the station was built, the area was fields and the nearest large settlement was at Harrow on the Hill about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the south. Wealdstone was a collection of houses at the north end of what is now Wealdstone High Street, about 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the station. The station buildings on the south west (Harrow) side of the station are the older part of the station, located beside what were the fast lines until the platforms were used for the later Euston to Watford DC line and the main line tracks were re-routed through the previous slow line platforms and new platforms (numbers 5 and 6) to the north east; a new, larger, station building was also erected on this Wealdstone side of the station in 1912.[14] The station footbridge was originally constructed with a full-height central barrier with passengers using the "London" side and railway and postal staff using the "country" side to move goods and mail via lifts which were removed in the early 1970s, leaving two parcel elevators serving the DC line platforms for the remaining postal traffic.

On 18 December 1890, a short branch line known as the Stanmore branch line was opened by the London & North Western Railway (LNWR, successor to the L&BR). It ran 2.12 miles (3.41 km) north-east from the main line to Stanmore. In 1932 an intermediate halt was constructed as Belmont to serve the developing residential areas locally. The train was known affectionately as the "Belmont Rattler".

By the end of the 19th century Wealdstone had developed in size and the station was given its current name on 1 May 1897 to reflect more accurately its location.[13]

On 16 April 1917, Bakerloo line services were extended from Willesden Junction to Watford Junction running on the newly electrified local tracks (the New Lines, which were originally steam-worked) and calling at Harrow & Wealdstone from that date.[15]

On 15 September 1952, the passenger service to Stanmore – by then renamed Stanmore Village to avoid confusion with the Metropolitan Railway's (later Bakerloo, and now Jubilee) station opened in 1934 – was withdrawn. Freight traffic (particularly the storage of bananas) continued sporadically until 1964.

 
Oerlikon electric train at Harrow & Wealdstone, 11 March 1956

During the early 1960s, as part of the West Coast Main Line electrification, the bridge carrying the A409 road (The Bridge/Station Approach) over the railway was rebuilt easing the previous severe road gradients and offering higher clearance over the tracks to allow for overhead catenary cabling.

On 5 October 1964, all services on the branch line to Belmont were withdrawn as part of the cuts of the Beeching Axe. The permanent way north of Harrow and Wealdstone station was removed but the disused platform 7 on the eastern side of the station was left in place as a siding for a further few years until it too was removed.

On 24 September 1982, Bakerloo line services to Harrow & Wealdstone ended when services north of Stonebridge Park were ended.[15] However the closure was short-lived, and the Bakerloo line to Harrow & Wealdstone was reinstated on 4 June 1984 with the station acting as the terminus.[15]

In the 1990s major reconstruction of local roads made to by-pass High Street, Wealdstone sent a new road (Ellen Webb Drive) through what remained of the station goods yard and part of the forecourt of the eastern entrance (1917) to the station.

Accidents and incidents

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  • On 7 August 1838 Thomas Port was fatally injured when he fell from a train and was run over about 1+1⁄4 miles (2 km) south of the station.
  • In 1870, a mail train was in a rear-end collision with a freight train. Eight people were killed,[16] including the cricketer James Rowley.[17]
  • Harrow and Wealdstone rail crash: On 8 October 1952, the station was the site of the worst peacetime railway disaster in British history when 112 people were killed and 340 were injured as a result of a Scottish express train colliding with the rear of a local train standing at platform 4. Seconds later a northbound express hauled by two locomotives collided with the wreckage causing further injury and demolished one span of the footbridge and the northern end of platforms 2 and 3. A memorial plaque was placed above the main entrance on the eastern side of the station to mark the 50th anniversary in 2002.

Facilities

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Harrow and Wealdstone station, with the DC electric platforms to the left, and main line fast platforms to the right.
 
Main line platforms
 
Entrance from Sandridge Close, part of the original station building
 
The station exterior clock as seen from The Bridge

The station has undergone several improvements in recent years: removal of the central barrier to allow use of the full width of the footbridge (which links both entrances and all platforms); new lifts for the use of disabled persons; newly painted and brightly-illuminated waiting rooms. When the line was resignalled with standard BR signalling in the 1980s, the two reversing sidings (used for turning Bakerloo line trains and occasionally DC line trains) located between the tracks of the DC line at the northern end side of the station were replaced by a single siding. This allowed the curve at the northern end of platform 2 to be eased using the space vacated by the removed siding. In practice, the remaining siding became unavailable for use by LO trains except when Bakerloo trains are not running as current (2018) service levels means that the siding is not sufficient for the reversing of Bakerloo trains, some trains have to reverse in platform 1 as well. Harrow and Wealdstone (together with Willesden Junction) is one of the two stations on the DC line which can be used for turning or stabling trains clear of the running lines during reduced or disrupted services although trains can be reversed using crossovers at other stations.

Ticket gatelines have been installed at both entrances in addition to the pre-existing booking offices

Trains on the fast lines pass the station through platforms 3 & 4, usually without stopping to serve it; access to these platforms is now by staff-operated gates which are opened when necessary. Southern and London Northwestern Railway stopping services generally use platforms 5 & 6 on the slow lines but all can use either pair of platforms when needed since the four main line platforms were lengthened to take 12-coach trains. Platform 2 on the Up DC line has unusually been maintained at a length of 182m[18] rather than the usual DC line length of around 125m, long enough for an 8-coach train; on rare past occasions in recent years involving total closure of the fast and slow lines, main line trains have been diverted over the DC line between Watford Junction and Euston but without stopping at intermediate stations.

Services

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Main line services

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Main line National Rail services at Harrow & Wealdstone are operated by London Northwestern Railway and Southern.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[19]

On Sundays, the semi-fast services between London Euston and Tring do not run and the service to East Croydon runs only as far as Clapham Junction.

Local services

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Local services at Harrow & Wealdstone are operated by London Overground on the Lioness line and by London Underground on the Bakerloo line.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[20][21]

Preceding station     London Overground Following station
Headstone Lane
towards Watford Junction
 Lioness line
Watford DC line 		Kenton
towards Euston
Preceding station   London Underground Following station
Terminus Bakerloo line Kenton
towards Elephant & Castle
Preceding station   National Rail Following station
Bushey
or
Watford Junction 		  London Northwestern Railway
  London Euston
Southern
Historical railways
Headstone Lane
towards Watford Junction
 Bakerloo line
(1917–1982)
 Kenton
towards Elephant & Castle
London and North Western Railway
Willesden   London and Birmingham Railway   Watford
old station
Disused railways
Terminus   British Railways
   Belmont

Future proposals

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Crossrail

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Network Rail's July 2011 London & South East Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS) recommended diverting West Coast Main Line (WCML) services from stations between London and Milton Keynes Central away from Euston, to Crossrail via Old Oak Common, to free up capacity at Euston for High Speed 2. This would provide a direct service from the WCML to the Shenfield, Canary Wharf and Abbey Wood, release London Underground capacity at Euston, make better use of Crossrail's capacity west of Paddington, and improve access to Heathrow Airport from the north.[22] Under this scheme, all Crossrail trains would continue west of Paddington, instead of some of them terminating there. They would serve Heathrow Airport (10 tph), stations to Maidenhead and Reading (6 tph), and stations to Milton Keynes Central (8 tph).[23]

In August 2014, a statement by the transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin indicated that the government was actively evaluating the extension of Crossrail as far as Tring, with potential Crossrail stops at Harrow & Wealdstone, Watford Junction, Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted and Tring. The extension would relieve some pressure from London Underground and London Euston station while also increasing connectivity. Conditions to the extension are that any extra services would not affect the planned service pattern for confirmed routes, as well as affordability.[24][25]

Access and connections

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The TfL Getting Around map shows this station as having disabled access (platform 1 does not involve the use of a lift when entering/leaving the Harrow entrance nor does platform 6 using the Wealdstone entrance).

The station is at the southern end of Wealdstone High Street; it is a short distance from Harrow Civic Centre and less than a mile from Harrow town centre. The station serves these areas as well as Belmont and Harrow Weald, both of which lack stations of their own, and parts of Headstone and Kenton. London Buses routes 140, 182, 186, 258, 340, 640, H9, H10, and night routes N18 and N140 serve the station.

References

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  1. ^ "Step free Tube Guide" (PDF). Transport for London. April 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 May 2021.
  2. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2019. Transport for London. 23 September 2020. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  3. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2020. Transport for London. 16 April 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2021. Transport for London. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  5. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2022. Transport for London. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2023. Transport for London. 8 August 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Estimates of station usage". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
  8. ^ Historic England. "Harrow and Wealdstone Station (1253982)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  9. ^ Historic England. "Station platform buildings at Harrow and Wealdstone Railway Station... (1253986)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  10. ^ "LEC1 mileages".
  11. ^ "Connecting London: the 5 oldest railway stations - Montcalm Blog". 20 January 2015.
  12. ^ a b Harris, Cyril M. (2006) [1977]. What's in a name?. Capital Transport. p. 33. ISBN 1-85414-241-0.
  13. ^ "Disused Stations: Harrow & Wealdstone Station".
  14. ^ a b c Rose, Douglas (1999). The London Underground, A Diagrammatic History. Douglas Rose/Capital Transport. ISBN 1-85414-219-4.
  15. ^ Hall, Stanley (1990). The Railway Detectives. London: Ian Allan. p. 40. ISBN 0-7110-1929-0.
  16. ^ "Law and Police". The Illustrated London News. 5 August 1871. p. 122. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  17. ^ Network Rail – LNW South Route Sectional Appendix
  18. ^ Table 66, 176 National Rail timetable, December 2022
  19. ^ Table 60 National Rail timetable, December 2022
  20. ^ "Bakerloo line timetable". Transport for London. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  21. ^ Rail Utilisation Strategy, 2011, pp. 150.
  22. ^ "'Emerging scenario' suggests Crossrail to the West Coast Main Line". Rail. Peterborough. 10 August 2011. p. 8.
  23. ^ "Crossrail extension to Hertfordshire being considered". BBC News. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  24. ^ Topham, Gwyn (7 August 2014). "New Crossrail route mooted from Hertfordshire into London". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
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