Rickmansworth station

Rickmansworth is an interchange railway station in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, northwest of central London, served by the London Underground 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 station is a good location to alight from to explore the Chess Valley.

Rickmansworth
Rickmansworth
Location of Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire
LocationRickmansworth
Local authorityDistrict of Three Rivers
Managed byLondon Underground
Station codeRIC
Number of platforms2
AccessibleYes (Southbound only)[1]
Fare zone7
London Underground annual entry and exit
2014 2.42 million[2]
2015 2.44 million[2]
2016 2.46 million[2]
2017 2.71 million[2]
2018 2.26 million[3]
National Rail annual entry and exit
2013–14 0.807 million[4]
2014–15 0.931 million[4]
2015–16 1.124 million[4]
2016–17 1.162 million[4]
2017–18 1.171 million[4]
2018–19 1.205 million[4]
Key dates
1887Opened
14 November 1966Goods yard closed
Other information
External links
WGS8451.64027°N 0.47333°W / 51.64027; -0.47333
London transport portal

History

Rickmansworth station opened on 1 September 1887 as the terminus of the Metropolitan Railway's extension from Pinner. In 1889, the line was extended from Rickmansworth to Chesham. Rickmansworth was shared with the Great Central Railway 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).[5]

In 1925 another platform was constructed at the south end of the station for the Watford branch shuttle. There was a proposal in the New Works Programme 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.[6]

Services

On London Underground, the station is served by trains on the Metropolitan line to Amersham and to Chesham from Baker Street and at peak times from Aldgate.

On National Rail, Rickmansworth is served by Chiltern Railways between Marylebone and Aylesbury via Harrow-on-the-Hill. During peak-times, Chiltern trains with six or more carriages do not stop at Rickmansworth because the platforms are too short.

There are two tracks through the station, shared in both directions by London Underground and National Rail trains. A third bay platform is seldom used nowadays, but used to be the terminus for shuttles to Watford. There are occasional services between Amersham (formally Rickmansworth) and Watford early in the morning and late in the evening each way.

Preceding station   London Underground   Following station
towards Amersham or Chesham
Metropolitan line
towards Baker Street or Aldgate
National Rail
Chorleywood   Chiltern Railways
London to Aylesbury Line		   Harrow-on-the-Hill

.

  • Northbound platform
  • Southbound platform
  • Water tower
  • Former bay platform for Watford shuttle trains

References
  1. "Step free Tube Guide" (PDF). Transport for London. March 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 June 2019.
  2. "Multi-year station entry-and-exit figures (2007-2017)" (XLSX). London Underground station passenger usage data. Transport for London. January 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
  3. "Station Usage Data" (CSV). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2018. Transport for London. 21 August 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  4. "Station usage estimates". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
  5. Green 1987, p. 44.
  6. "Huge boost for accessibility as further 13 stations to go step-free". London City Hall. Retrieved 2 February 2018.

Bibliography
  • Green, Oliver (1987). The London Underground: An illustrated history. Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-1720-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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