Hatch End and Headstone Lane get no trains until 4pm on Sunday 20 September, while a crane lifts out the Oxhey Grange bridge. The Bakerloo still runs.

Two Harrow stations will have no trains at all for most of Sunday 20 September.

Network Rail is lifting out the Oxhey Grange footbridge near Watford, and to do it safely it is closing all four West Coast Main Line tracks and the London Overground Lioness line underneath. The closure runs from midnight on Saturday 19 September until 4pm on Sunday 20 September (Network Rail, 4 September 2026).

The bridge is at Watford Heath, about four miles north of Harrow & Wealdstone. The damage to Harrow’s service is closer to home. The Lioness line will run no further out of Euston than Willesden Junction that morning, and Hatch End and Headstone Lane are Lioness-only stations. Neither has another operator to fall back on.

What each Harrow station has that Sunday, until 4pm

Harrow stations on Sunday 20 September 2026, before 4pm Table of Harrow borough rail stations and what runs before 4pm on Sunday 20 September 2026. Hatch End and Headstone Lane: no service. Harrow and Wealdstone, Kenton, South Kenton: Bakerloo line only. Harrow-on-the-Hill, North Harrow, Pinner: Metropolitan line, no planned closure. South Harrow and Rayners Lane: Piccadilly line running only as far as Acton Town. Sources: Network Rail and Transport for London. Harrow stations, Sunday 20 September, before 4pm Full service on the Lioness line and the West Coast Main Line resumes after 4pm Station What runs before 4pm Hatch End Headstone Lane Nothing. Both are Lioness-only. Harrow & Wealdstone Kenton South Kenton Bakerloo line only, running normally. No Lioness. No London Northwestern at Harrow & Wealdstone. Harrow-on-the-Hill North Harrow Pinner Metropolitan line. No planned closure. South Harrow Rayners Lane Piccadilly line, but only as far as Acton Town. Separate TfL upgrade closure. Sources: Network Rail (4 September 2026); TfL line and station data and the Piccadilly line upgrade calendar, checked 9 September 2026. Graphic by Harrow Today
Two Harrow stations lose everything, three keep only the Bakerloo, and the Metropolitan side of the borough is untouched.

The detail, from Network Rail’s notice and Transport for London’s own line data:

  • Hatch End and Headstone Lane: no service. The Lioness stops at Willesden Junction, and both stations are north of it.
  • Harrow & Wealdstone, Kenton and South Kenton: the Bakerloo line only. Network Rail says Bakerloo services “will continue to operate normally”. Harrow & Wealdstone is the Bakerloo’s northern terminus.
  • Harrow & Wealdstone also loses its London Northwestern Railway trains. No LNR service runs between Euston and Watford Junction until 4pm.
  • The Lioness runs two trains an hour between Euston and Willesden Junction, and the full service resumes after 4pm.

The Piccadilly is out the same weekend

Harrow’s other rail problem that weekend is unrelated, and it catches the opposite side of the borough. TfL’s Piccadilly line upgrade closes the line between Hyde Park Corner and Acton Town on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September (Piccadilly line upgrade). South Harrow and Rayners Lane keep their trains, but those trains stop short of central London.

So on the Sunday, the Metropolitan line is the only route out of Harrow running end to end. TfL’s planned-status data listed no closure on it for that weekend when we checked on 9 September.

Why the bridge is coming out

The footbridge crosses the main line south of Watford Junction. Network Rail closed it to pedestrians on 26 July after a routine inspection found it had deteriorated faster than expected, and engineers have since decided it has to be removed rather than repaired.

It will be lifted out in one piece, using a crane 100 metres tall rated to 1,200 tonnes. Network Rail says the single lift is what keeps the railway shut for 16 hours instead of longer.

Preparation is already under way at the site: structural monitoring, surveys and the building of a platform for the crane. Temporary speed restrictions are in place on the track beneath the bridge as a precaution.

Gary Walsh, Network Rail’s director for the West Coast South route, said the bridge “now needs to be removed as soon as possible”, and that the company is “continuing to develop proposals for its replacement” and will talk to the local community as that work goes on.

Rory O’Neill, TfL’s general manager for London Overground, asked Lioness customers to “check before they travel and allow a little extra time”.

What it means for you

If you live in Hatch End or Headstone Lane and need to travel on Sunday 20 September, plan on getting to another station or waiting until the afternoon.

  • From Headstone Lane, Harrow & Wealdstone is about 1.2 miles away and keeps the Bakerloo. Pinner, on the Metropolitan, is about the same distance.
  • From Hatch End, Pinner is about 1.3 miles and Harrow & Wealdstone about 1.9 miles.
  • Travelling to Euston or central London from Harrow & Wealdstone? The Bakerloo will get you in, but it stops everywhere and is far slower than the 13-minute London Northwestern run you may be used to.
  • Heading north or out of London? London Northwestern is running an hourly shuttle between Milton Keynes Central and Watford Junction, calling at all stations, plus replacement buses between Watford Junction and Potters Bar for connections to Kings Cross.
  • Avanti West Coast passengers: no trains at all between Euston and Milton Keynes Central until 4pm.
  • Everything returns to normal after 4pm.

Network Rail said updated timetables for the day would be in journey planners from Monday 7 September, so the affected trains should already be showing.

We are tracking the borough’s live closures, on road and rail, on our Harrow roadworks and travel page.

Frequently asked questions

Which Harrow stations have no trains on Sunday 20 September?

Hatch End and Headstone Lane. Both are served only by the London Overground Lioness line, and the Lioness will run no further than Willesden Junction until 4pm that day.

Does the Bakerloo line run on 20 September?

Yes. Network Rail says Bakerloo services will operate normally, so Harrow & Wealdstone, Kenton and South Kenton all keep a train service. Harrow & Wealdstone is the Bakerloo’s northern terminus.

Why is the West Coast Main Line closed?

Network Rail is removing the Oxhey Grange footbridge at Watford Heath. It was closed to pedestrians on 26 July after an inspection found it had deteriorated faster than expected, and it is being lifted out in one piece by a 100-metre crane rated to 1,200 tonnes.

What time do the trains come back?

4pm on Sunday 20 September. Network Rail says a full service resumes on the Lioness line after that, and the main line reopens at the same time.

Can I still get to central London from Harrow that Sunday?

Yes, on the Metropolitan line from Harrow-on-the-Hill, North Harrow or Pinner, which TfL listed as having no planned closure that weekend. The Bakerloo from Harrow & Wealdstone also runs, but it stops everywhere. The Piccadilly line is separately shut between Hyde Park Corner and Acton Town, so South Harrow and Rayners Lane trains stop short of the centre.

Sources

  • Network Rail: West Coast Main Line to close between London Euston and Watford due to emergency bridge work, published 4 September 2026, for the closure times, the affected lines and operators, the replacement services, the crane, the 26 July bridge closure and the quotes.
  • Transport for London’s own line and station data for which Harrow stations the Lioness, Bakerloo, Metropolitan and Piccadilly lines serve, and its planned line status for 19 to 21 September 2026, checked 9 September 2026.
  • TfL: Piccadilly line upgrade for the 19 and 20 September closure between Hyde Park Corner and Acton Town.
  • Distances between stations are straight-line measurements from published station coordinates.