Rickmansworth is an interchange
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...
in
Rickmansworth
Rickmansworth () is a town in southwest Hertfordshire, England, about northwest of central London and inside the perimeter of the M25 motorway. The town is mainly to the north of the Grand Union Canal (formerly the Grand Junction Canal) and ...
,
Hertfordshire, northwest of
central London, served by the
London Underground
The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England.
The ...
Metropolitan line and by
Chiltern Railways. It is one of the few London Underground stations beyond
Greater London and as a consequence is in
Travelcard Zone 7
The Travelcard is an inter-modal travel ticket for unlimited use on the London Underground, London Overground, Elizabeth line, Docklands Light Railway, London Trams,_ "type":_...,_London_Buses_and_National_Rail.html" ;"title="London_Buses.html" ...
. The station is a good location to alight from to explore the
Chess Valley.
History
The line to Rickmansworth was authorised in 1880
and the station opened on 1 September 1887 as the terminus of the
Metropolitan Railway's extension from
Pinner
Pinner is a London suburb in the London borough of Harrow, Greater London, England, northwest of Charing Cross, close to the border with Hillingdon, historically in the county of Middlesex. The population was 31,130 in 2011.
Originally a med ...
. In 1889, the line was extended from Rickmansworth to
Chesham
Chesham (, , or ) is a market town and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, south-east of the county town of Aylesbury, north-west of central London, and part of the London commuter belt. It is in the Chess Valley, surrounded by farmla ...
. Rickmansworth was shared with the
Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway in England was formed when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897, anticipating the opening in 1899 of its London Extension. On 1 January 1923, the company was grouped into the ...
which reached
Quainton Road in 1898. The extension of Metropolitan Line electrification brought electric services out to Rickmansworth on 5 January 1925, allowing the locomotive change point to be moved (north of Rickmansworth steam traction was provided by the
LNER LNER may refer to:
* London and North Eastern Railway, a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1923 until 1947
* London North Eastern Railway, a train operating company in the United Kingdom since 2018
* Liquid neutral earthing resistor, a typ ...
).
In 1925 another platform was constructed at the south end of the station for the
Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...
branch shuttle. There was a proposal in the
New Works Programme
The New Works Programme of 1935–1940 was the major investment programme delivered by the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB), commonly known as London Transport, which had been created in 1933 to coordinate underground train, tram, trolley ...
to extend electrification to
Aylesbury, but this was postponed at the outbreak of the Second World War. Afterwards, electrification reached
Amersham with
British Rail trains completing the journey to Aylesbury. The Rickmansworth-Watford shuttle ceased and the final steam train ran on 10 September 1961.
Electric locomotive-hauled trains on the Metropolitan were replaced with
A60 and A62 Stock. In 1987 the shuttle to Watford resumed, but only one each way, early morning and late evening. This was later extended to Amersham when the new
S8 Stock was introduced.
Rickmansworth is still one of few locations on the Met where train drivers are based and remains a changeover point for drivers on the Metropolitan line. The majority of LU trains heading north are timetabled to stop at Rickmansworth for about five minutes to change train staff. Rickmansworth hosts the headquarters of the operational side of the northern section of the Met, controlling signals on the line from Northwood to Watford and Chorleywood. Many evening-running Metropolitan trains terminate at Rickmansworth due to the number of sidings near the station.
In 2018, it was announced that the station would gain step free access by 2022, as part of a £200m investment to increase the number of accessible stations on London Underground.
Services
On London Underground, the station is served by trains on the
Metropolitan line to
Amersham and to
Chesham
Chesham (, , or ) is a market town and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, south-east of the county town of Aylesbury, north-west of central London, and part of the London commuter belt. It is in the Chess Valley, surrounded by farmla ...
from
Baker Street and at peak times from
Aldgate
Aldgate () was a gate in the former defensive wall around the City of London. It gives its name to Aldgate High Street, the first stretch of the A11 road, which included the site of the former gate.
The area of Aldgate, the most common use of ...
.
On National Rail, Rickmansworth is served by
Chiltern Railways between and
Aylesbury via . During peak-times, some Chiltern Line trains do not stop at Rickmansworth.
There are two tracks through the station, shared in both directions by London Underground and National Rail trains. A short third bay platform (now severed) is no longer used, but used to be the terminus for shuttles to Watford. There are
occasional services between Rickmansworth and which use the 'North Curve' of track, in the 2021 timetable there are two early in the morning plus one late in the evening.
Gallery
File:Rickmansworth station look north.JPG, Northbound platform
File:Rickmansworth station 3.jpg, Southbound platform
File:Rickmansworth station 4.jpg, Water tower
File:Rickmansworth station former steam bay look north.JPG, Former bay platform for Watford shuttle trains
References
Bibliography
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rickmansworth Station
Metropolitan line stations
Tube stations in Hertfordshire
Railway stations in Three Rivers District
London Underground stations located above ground
Former Metropolitan and Great Central Joint Railway stations
Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1887
Railway stations served by Chiltern Railways
Rickmansworth