Smaller trains from Watford Junction to Euston from November

London Northwestern Railway (LNR) has invested in a new fleet of modern electric trains, but their rollout has been delayed, leaving Watford’s commuters temporarily stuck with three “shorter and busier trains”, the train company has admitted.

The new Class 730 trains were set to replace the “ageing” Class 319, which were supposed to have been withdrawn before the summer because they are “increasingly unreliable". Keeping the 319s running was apparently “regularly” causing short-notice service cancellations.

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In an update, the company said: “For a number of reasons, including significant build delays caused by the pandemic and the complexities of introducing a new train fleet, it has not been possible to bring the Class 730s in as quickly as we would like.”

Starting from November, before the new trains are ready to replace them, some Class 319s will be withdrawn. Trains with half the capacity will therefore be running between Watford Junction and London Euston at six times daily, until the 730s come into service.

The Watford Rail Users Group called for more information on which journeys will be impacted and yesterday afternoon (October 26) LNR shared more detail with the Watford Observer.

LNR 730 train under construction (Image: LNR)

From October 30, the 7.30am, 7.35am, and 9.08am trains from Watford Junction will run four carriages instead of eight. Then, in the afternoon, the 4.24pm, 6.09pm, and 7.24pm trains from Euston to Watford Junction will be four carriages.

A London Northwestern Railway spokesperson said: “A small number of weekday peak-time services between Watford Junction and London Euston will be formed of fewer carriages than usual from Monday, October 30, while we await the introduction of our new electric train fleet.

LNR 730 train under construction. (Image: LNR)

“Passengers using the affected services may wish to consider catching an alternative train. We apologise for the inconvenience and will keep passengers updated regarding the introduction of our new trains.”

In total, 19 trains run from Watford Junction to London Euston before 9.30am each morning, with three becoming smaller next week.

The change is apparently only set to be in place for "a short period of time", but LNR has not been able to provide a precise date.