Northwood tube station
Metropolitan line · Zone 6 · Hillingdon
About Northwood station
The Metropolitan Railway pushed on from its terminus at Pinner to reach Northwood on 1 September 1887, on the way to Rickmansworth, and the line became the town’s only continuous link with London, in the region later known as Metro-Land. The station lies on a four-track section, but its two platforms face only the slow lines, so fast trains pass straight through. That arrangement dates from a 1960s rebuild which moved the platforms from the Amersham fast lines onto the Watford slow lines.
Two sidings once made Northwood a terminus for many Metropolitan trains, and trains still turn here during engineering works or delays; the sidings were also used to load A60/A62 and C69/C77 stock onto lorries for scrap. The goods depot has been demolished and replaced by the station car park. On 31 December 1945 two trains collided in fog between here and Northwood Hills: a fire started by electrical arcing followed, the traction current could not be cut off for 12 minutes, and three people trapped in damaged compartments died of smoke inhalation. Original Crossrail plans would have added platforms on the fast lines here, but they were dropped in the late 1990s.
First and last trains from Northwood
| Line and direction | Mon–Thu first – last | Friday first – last | Saturday first – last | Sunday first – last |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan towards Watford, Amersham or Chesham | 05:53 – 00:53 to Chesham | 05:53 – 00:53 to Chesham | 05:53 – 00:53 to Chesham | 07:19 to Chesham – 00:40 to Rickmansworth |
| Metropolitan towards Aldgate, Baker Street or Harrow-on-the-Hill | 05:39 – 00:49 to Wembley Park | 05:39 – 00:49 to Wembley Park | 05:39 to Aldgate – 00:49 to Wembley Park | 06:54 to Aldgate – 00:34 to Wembley Park |
Times are TfL’s published timetable departures from this station; on Saturday the list follows TfL’s “Saturdays and public holidays” timetable.
At the busiest hour on a weekday there are up to 14 Metropolitan trains an hour per direction from Northwood, counting both directions separately.
Next stations from Northwood
Running times between Northwood and the adjoining stations, from TfL’s timetable.
| Line | Next station | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan | Moor Park | 2.5 min |
| Metropolitan | Northwood Hills | 2.5 min |
Connections
Northwood is served by the Metropolitan line only; there is no interchange with other rail lines here.
Station facilities
What is near Northwood station
Northwood station stands just off Green Lane, the main road through the town, in the London Borough of Hillingdon. No named landmarks are recorded within 400 m, and the station mainly serves the town itself as its rail link to London, with a car park on the site of the former goods depot and London bus routes calling at the station. The neighbouring stops are Moor Park to the north and Northwood Hills to the south.
Frequently asked questions
The station is on a four-track section, but its platforms serve only the slow lines. A 1960s rebuild placed them on the Watford slow lines rather than the Amersham fast lines, so fast services have no platform to call at here.
On 31 December 1945 two Metropolitan line trains collided in fog between Northwood and Northwood Hills, after the driver of the second train passed a danger signal under the ‘Stop and Proceed’ rule. A fire followed, and three people trapped in the damaged compartments died of smoke inhalation.