The elected mayor of Watford, Peter Taylor, has said that “a range of options” are being considered for reopening the closed West Watford rail route, including a guided busway or trackless trams.
Jake Mitchell, chairman of Watford Green Party, presented a petition at a Watford Borough Council meeting on Tuesday (January 27) calling for the council to look at reopening West Watford railway station.
The station closed in 1996 and a previous plan to reopen it as part of a Metropolitan underground line extension was halted in 2017 before being scrapped.
Speaking at Tuesday’s meeting, Mr Taylor (LD) said that since the decision to cancel the planned extension, he had “done everything I can do to make sure we have a credible plan to bring the Croxley line back into use”.
He continued: “The Local Plan … includes policies that safeguard the land required for new infrastructure, including this disused rail line through West Watford.
“Thanks to this council, feasibility work has already been commissioned to examine options for bringing the transport corridor that runs past West Watford station into use.
“This work is being carried out with Hertfordshire County Council and is being funded by our Community Infrastructure Levy contribution of £150,000.
“While a heavy rail solution for the route has not been ruled out, the purpose of the work is to consider a range of options for the route, from guided busways, very light rail, and walking and cycling.
“While a final option has not been selected, a guided busway or trackless tram has been shown to represent a good balance between meeting the transport needs of residents in West Watford and providing value for money.”
Mr Taylor added that “government funding” would be required to put any planned scheme into action.
“The ongoing collaborative work between Hertfordshire County Council, Watford Borough Council, Three Rivers District Council and organisations such as Transport for London (TfL) and Network Rail, ensures the project is well positioned should funding opportunities arise.”
Other councillors also spoke in favour of using the former railway line for public transport.
Cllr Nigel Bell, leader of the opposition Labour group, said it was “something we do need to look at” and expressed his hope that there would be “a suitable replacement for that bit of land and that old station”.
The transport portfolio holder, Cllr Ian Stotesbury (LD), said the cancellation of the Metropolitan line extension had been “a huge betrayal to West Watford” and that the borough council had been working on options since then.
He continued: “We do have to be realistic. To fund something like a new train system on that route will need the backing of the government or the backing of TfL to fund that.”
Mr Mitchell, who brought the petition to the meeting, has said that it was prompted by cuts to bus services in the area.
Ahead of the meeting, he told the Watford Observer: “There are still a lot of areas in Watford, West Watford being one of them, that have been left to decline.
“Watford transport is in ruins at this point, so we need to take action and take it into our own hands and start fixing it. West Watford is a good start and actually would help improve it.”
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