Watford - Rickmansworth Through Tube Trains

[Turbo004]

In my quest to travel on all the lines in Great Briton I'm down to currently two lines left to cover. One is Eurostar out of Saint Pancross. The other is Watford East Junction to Watford North Junction on the Metropolitan line.

Last night after my shift at work I travelled down from the North of England to Watford Junction. I then walked to Watford Metropolitan station arriving there at approximately 00.15. According to the timetable both on the website and the written timetable at Watford Metropolitan Station there is an 00.47 tube train to Rickmansworth.

Whilst there was a tube train in the station from approximately 00.35 it left ECS at approx 00.42. I used the helpline at the station and the person who answered told me due to points problems in the Baker Street area the 00.47 was cancelled.

I'm surprised that the problems in Baker Street affected this service. I'm still keen to try again in the future to catch this service. How can I be sure that this service is running in the future?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Dstock7080]

The normal timetable has been suspended since the Baker Street track fault on 29 October.
It is hoped to restore the timetable from tomorrow or Monday.

 

[Railguy1]

The route is also sometimes scheduled for use during engineering work.

 

[EnriqueEspaña]

Many years ago I was on my way back to Amersham on New year's Eve (well-thr morning after at 2/3am) and I remember getting on at Baker Street and the driver announced they would be going via Crowley and Watford. Was quite an unexpected but pleasant surprise!

With New Year coming up in a few months, maybe you can treat yourself to watching the fireworks in London and getting the same train I did. As your coming down from up north, might be nice to have another reason to make the long trip down!

 

[njr001]

if I remember correctly the early morning train from Rickmansworth to Croxley and Watford round the north curve is shown on the platform indicator screens as ‘Not in Service’ maybe the same is true at Watford.

 

[Turbo004]

Many years ago I was on my way back to Amersham on New year's Eve (well-thr morning after at 2/3am) and I remember getting on at Baker Street and the driver announced they would be going via Crowley and Watford. Was quite an unexpected but pleasant surprise!

With New Year coming up in a few months, maybe you can treat yourself to watching the fireworks in London and getting the same train I did. As your coming down from up north, might be nice to have another reason to make the long trip down!

Unfortunately I'm working over New Year so won't be able to make it down to London then.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 11 Nov 2025 ==

if I remember correctly the early morning train from Rickmansworth to Croxley and Watford round the north curve is shown on the platform indicator screens as ‘Not in Service’ maybe the same is true at Watford.

That's my biggest fear. Whilst they may be timetabled they just go as ECS. Certainly on Friday night there was a train which left Watford 5 minutes before the scheduled Rickmansworth service as ECS. What I can't work out was this a regular occurrence or due to the points problem at Baker Street?

 

[Dstock7080]

What I can't work out was this a regular occurrence or due to the points problem at Baker Street?

I’m pretty sure it was explained up thread that the normal timetable was suspended from 29 October, so that workings after that date wouldn’t run to the usual schedule.

 

[bluegoblin7]

Correct - with the disruption at Baker Street the last fortnight the usual working timetable hasn’t been in operation, and there have been numerous changes and alterations to these trains, which primarily run for stabling purposes. It really isn’t surprising that you weren’t able to do them, and as a general rule if a line is showing disruption don’t expect booked ‘rusty rail’ moves to run (this applies beyond just the Met).

The good news is that the Curve trains which run in service are generally pretty reliable when a good service is advertised - in particular the morning trains form part of the start up service and headways to branches, so should only be cancelled if there is a late start up.

New Years Eve into New Year’s Day has always run a skeleton service of Chesham and Amersham services via Watford (both ways) from the small hours until mid-morning and this will continue this year.

The Curve is also usually available a few times a year during the day, either on Heritage Train Trips or engineering closures - there’s no more this year but I would expect a few of these next year as part of final SMA9 testing and commissioning.

(SMA9 - Signal Migration Area 9, Preston Road to West Harrow and Moor Park - the next phase of the Metropolitan line’s resignalling.)

 

[Pegpilot]

Didn't Neasden Depot used to use the curve to turn trains round or train portions ? If they wanted to get a specific cab marshalled at the outward end of a 4-car A Stock portion then that's what they had to do. Mind you, my memory isn't what it used to be and given that the S8's have no intermediate cabs its probably no longer relevant.

 

[Dstock7080]

Didn't Neasden Depot used to use the curve to turn trains round or train portions ? If they wanted to get a specific cab marshalled at the outward end of a 4-car A Stock portion then that's what they had to do. Mind you, my memory isn't what it used to be and given that the S8's have no intermediate cabs its probably no longer relevant.

Most noticable after OPO conversion.
Before OPO A Stock were regarded as universal coupling but with OPO, cabs were wired either A, D or A/D ends and required correct coupling arrangements.

 

[Turbo004]

Correct - with the disruption at Baker Street the last fortnight the usual working timetable hasn’t been in operation, and there have been numerous changes and alterations to these trains, which primarily run for stabling purposes. It really isn’t surprising that you weren’t able to do them, and as a general rule if a line is showing disruption don’t expect booked ‘rusty rail’ moves to run (this applies beyond just the Met).

The good news is that the Curve trains which run in service are generally pretty reliable when a good service is advertised - in particular the morning trains form part of the start up service and headways to branches, so should only be cancelled if there is a late start up.

New Years Eve into New Year’s Day has always run a skeleton service of Chesham and Amersham services via Watford (both ways) from the small hours until mid-morning and this will continue this year.

The Curve is also usually available a few times a year during the day, either on Heritage Train Trips or engineering closures - there’s no more this year but I would expect a few of these next year as part of final SMA9 testing and commissioning.

(SMA9 - Signal Migration Area 9, Preston Road to West Harrow and Moor Park - the next phase of the Metropolitan line’s resignalling.)

Many thanks for the detailed and informative post. Before I travelled I wasn't aware of the disruption on the Metropolitan line. I'd looked about a week in advance and noticed on the TfL website that there was no planned engineering work. There is a good document on TfL but only last updated in August about planned engineering work. Looking back if only I'd looked on the London Underground section of this website I would have spotted the relevant thread and not travelled. School boy error by me!

Having said this there was no notices or announcements at Watford Underground station of the disruption. It was only when I used the help point when my train appeared not to be running that I found out about the problems.

It's good to know the services are normally reliable when there is no disruption. It looks like I've got a good chance of doing it in the daytime in the next year or so. Many thanks for the heads up on additional engineering work due to SMA9. I'll look out for tours and engineering work. Where am I best to find out about possible engineering work which would cause the curve to be used?

It's also interesting that the curve gets used on most New Year's Eve. Whilst I can't do it this New Year if nothing crops up before next New Year I'll probably try it then. I'm certainly put off my original plan of walking from Rickmansworth to Watford in the middle of the night. It seemed quite a distance and potentially dangerous.

 

[EnriqueEspaña]

It's also interesting that the curve gets used on most New Year's Eve. Whilst I can't do it this New Year if nothing crops up before next New Year I'll probably try it then. I'm certainly put off my original plan of walking from Rickmansworth to Watford in the middle of the night.

It also gets used for a lot of events, often when the 38TS or Sarah Siddons gets released on the line. Also for Steam on the Met, but unsure when the last time that happened now.

Walking between the two is mostly fine, if not just a bit of a trek at night.

 

[Egg Centric]

Walking between the two is mostly fine, if not just a bit of a trek at night.

Just take a torch if you use the ebury way (the way I would go) as it's not lit. Although either route is perfectly safe in terms of muggers or whatever.

I would recommend an engineering day though if only so you're not focussed on a particular train and can do it both ways.