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Address: The Bridge, High Street, Harrow, London HA3 5BP
Opened: 20th July 1837
Station Code: HRW
Fare Zone: 5

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London Overground Line(s) Served:

Watford DC Lines

Service Pattern(s):

4 trains per hour to London Euston
4 trains per hour to Watford Junction

London Underground Line(s) Served:

Bakerloo Line

Service Pattern:

4 trains per hour to Elephant & Castle

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Interchange(s)

National Rail: London Northwestern Railway, Southern

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Station History

A station named Harrow was opened in this area by the London & Birmingham Railway on 20th July 1837. At the time of opening, the surrounds of the station were mainly agricultural fields, with the nearest settlement being Harrow on the Hill, located roughly 1.5 Miles (2.4km) to the South.

July 1846 saw the L&BR merge with the Grand Junction Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway to form the London and North Western Railway, and it was under this new entity that a new branch line was opened with a length of 2.12 miles (3.41 km)between the station and Stanmore. To further enhance line capacity, two new express lines were laid from London Euston to Rugby, although no platforms were provided to allow trains to stop here.

With the end of the Century approaching, Wealdstone had grown significantly in size and the station was renamed to Harrow & Wealdstone on 1st May 1897 to reflect this.

Further change was implemented in 1912 when as part of the construction of a new line from Euston to Watford Junction saw the station redeveloped with the existing lines being reclassified as slow, whilst 2 new lines were laid and two new platforms provided between the four ‘fast’ tracks. Alongside these works, a new station building was also constructed on the Wealdstone side of the station and the station footbridge was upgraded.

The 16th April 1917 saw the arrival of the London Underground to the station when the Bakerloo Line was extended from Willesden Junction to Watford Junction running on newly electrified tracks through the station.

Grouping of the railways due to the Railways Act 1921 saw the L&NWR absorbed by the London, Midland, and Scottish Railway in 1923, followed by Nationalisation in 1948 which saw the LMS being amalgamated into British Railways Midland Region.

Following a downturn in passenger traffic, the decision was taken by the new company to cease passenger services on the Stanmore branch on 15th September 1952, although freight traffic continued to operate.

During the morning rush hour of 8th October 1952, an express service from Perth collided with a local service that had stopped in the platform ahead of it. The resulting wreckage blocked the adjacent lines and seconds later this was struck by a Northbound express service. The incident was the worst peacetime rail crash in British history resulting in 122 fatalities and 340 wounded.

The early 1960s saw the main lines electrified using 25Kv overhead equipment. This opened in stages and the section from Crewe to London saw its first electrified services on 12 November 1965, with full public service from 18 April 1966. The local lines and London Underground services continued using 3rd/fourth rail electrification.

On 5th October 1964 following the Beeching Report, the branch line to Stanmore was officially closed and all the tracks removed. However, the line from platform 7 was realigned to provide a stabling siding, which was removed a few years later.

London Underground withdrew the Bakerloo Line services between Stonebridge Park and Watford Junction on 24th September 1982, although this was short-lived as the service was reinstated to Harrow & Wealdstone as a terminus on 4th June 1984.

With sectorisation of the railways in 1982, management of the station passed to the London & Southeastern business unit, being relaunched as Network Southeast on 10 June 1986.

Harrow & Wealdstone was granted Grade II listed building status on 5th September 1989.

Privatisation followed in March 1997 with the station passing to National Express under their Silverlink Metro brand, before in November 2007 the final change of ownership occurred with Transport for London assuming control under the London Underground business.

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