Updated 26-9-2018
We are delighted to report that a new temporary six month bus service serving the Meriden Estate will commence on Monday 1st October.
Hertfordshire County Council agreed to fund four new services, run by Red Eagle, W1, W2, W3 and W4, while a permanent tender is agreed. In addition, the UNO 635 service between Watford General Hospital and Hitchin will now also run through the Meriden.
This follows a long campaign to stop Arriva from cancelling the 324 bus service through the Meriden. A meeting was held yesterday (September 20th) at Hertfordshire County Council, where petitions from the Liberal Democrats and Labour Party to reinstate a bus service to the estate were handed over.
The W1 bus will run from Kingswood via the Meriden to Watford hourly at peak times from Monday to Friday.
The W2 will run from the Meriden to the town centre from Monday to Friday hourly at off-peak hours.
The W3 and W4 will run on a Saturday every 30 minutes in opposite directions via the Meriden and Watford town centre.
If you are catching a bus back to the Meriden from the town centre the bus stops that all four Red Eagle services pick up from are as follows:
- Market Street, Stop J
- Clarendon Road, Stop S
- Watford Junction, Stop 5
For the UNO 635 the stops are:
- Watford General Hospital, Thomas Saywer Way
- Watford General Hospital (opposite side of the road)
- Market Street, Stop J
- Clarendon Road, Stop NB
- Watford Junction, Stop 5
Arriva’s new 520 service, which replaces the 324, will run between Maple Cross and Hemel Hempstead via Watford from September 30. It will not run through the Meriden.
We at the MRA would like to thank all those involved in organising and collecting signatures for the petition and all those who represented the Meriden residents in persuading the HCC to fund these temporary services.
W1
The W1 service runs Monday to Friday, with two buses in the morning and two in the afternoon/evening towards the town centre. There is one bus in the morning and three in the afternoon/evening towards Kingswood. During school term times one of the morning buses and one of the afternoon buses terminate and begin at Francis Combe Academy instead of the North Orbital road (Variants 2 and 4). During school holidays the buses follow the normal route to Kingswood.
The Meriden section of the route is given as The Gossamers – York Way – Meriden Way – Westlea Avenue (Variants 1 and 2 towards Watford town centre) and Westlea Avenue – Meriden Way – York Way – The Gossamers (Variants 3 and 4 towards Kingswood/Francis Combe).
The only times given for Meriden bus stops are for the bus stops in The Gossamers opposite the shops. Heading to the town centre the times are 7:05 and 8:39 in the morning as well as 15:54 and 17:24 in the afternoon/evening. Heading to Kingswood/Francis Combe there is one W1 bus in the morning at 8:00 and three buses to Kingswood in the afternoon/evening at 16:49, 18:19 and 19:18.
Note that whilst on the way into town the last two stops are in Beechen Grove and the High Street, on the way back to the Meriden the bus stops are in Market Street and Clarendon Road.
W1: Kingswood – Watford via Meriden
Variant 1: Kingsway North Orbital Road, Sheepcot Lane, St Albans Road, Garston Lane, The Gossamers, York Way, Meriden Way, Westlea Avenue, Bushey Mill Lane, St Albans Road, Station Road, Watford Junction Interchange, Woodford Road, Station Road, Clarendon Road, Beechen Grove, Water Lane, High Street.
Variant 2: Horseshoe Lane, St Albans Road, Garston Lane, The Gossamers, York Way, Meriden Way, Westlea Avenue, Woodmere Avenue, Bushey Mill Lane, St Albans Road, Station Road, Watford Junction Interchange, Woodford Road, Station Road, Clarendon Road, Beechen Grove, Water Lane, High Street.
Watford – Kingswood via Meriden
Variant 3: Market Street, Exchange Road, Beechen Grove, Clarendon Road, Station Road, Watford Junction Interchange, Woodford Road, Station Road, Langley Road, St Albans Road, Bushey Mill Lane, Woodmere Avenue, Westlea Avenue, Meriden Way, York Way, The Gossamers, Garston Lane, St Albans Road, Sheepcot Lane, Kingsway North Orbital
Variant 4: Market Street, Exchange Road, Beechen Grove, Clarendon Road, Station Road, Watford Junction Interchange, Woodford Road, Station Road, Langley Road, St Albans Road, Bushey Mill Lane, Woodmere Avenue, Westlea Avenue, Meriden Way, York Way, The Gossamers, Garston Lane, St Albans Road, Horseshoe Lane.
W2
The W2 will run Monday – Friday between 9:23 and 14:57 approximately once per hour. Aside from the first W2 service of the day, this bus route starts and finishes in the town centre. On the Meriden estate it takes a circular route along Phillapers and back down The Gossamers. This means that bus stops on only one side of the road will be used. The Meriden section of the route is listed as Westlea Avenue – Meriden Way – York Way – Phillipers – The Gossamers – York Way – Meriden Way – Westlea Avenue. The timetable below gives times for bus stops in York Way (onto the estate), in Phillipers near Tibbles Close and the bus stop in the Gossamers opposite the shops. The times for the bus stop in York Way are given as 9:23, 10:13, 11:13, 12:13, 13:13 and 14:43. The other stops will be a few minutes after these times.
As with the W1, this route starts in the town centre at Market Street Stop J and Clarendon Road Stop S but ends at Beechen Grove stop M and High Street stop E/F.
W2: Watford and Meriden Circular
Variant 1: Market Street, Exchange Road, Beechen Grove, Clarendon Road, Station Road, Watford Junction Interchange, Woodford Road, Station Road, Clarendon Road, St John’s Road, Orphanage Road, Radlett Road, Balmoral Road, Knutsford Avenue, Bushey Mill Lane, Woodmere Avenue, Meriden Way, York Way, Phillipers, The Gossamers, York Way, Meriden Way, Westlea Avenue, Woodmere Avenue, Bushey Mill Lane, Knutsford Avenue, Balmoral Road, Radlett Road, Orphanage Road, Woodford Road, Station Road, Watford Junction Interchange, Woodford Road, Station Road, Clarendon Road, Beechen Grove, Water Lane, High Street.
Variant 2: Market Street, Exchange Road, Beechen Grove, Clarendon Road, Station Road, Watford Junction Interchange, Woodford Road, Station Road, Clarendon Road, St John’s Road, Orphanage Road, Radlett Road, Balmoral Road, Knutsford Avenue, Bushey Mill Lane, Woodmere Avenue, Meriden Way, York Way, Phillipers, The Gossamers, York Way, Meriden Way, Westlea Avenue, Woodmere Avenue, Bushey Mill Lane, Radlett Road, Stephenson Way, A411,, Beechen Grove, Water Lane, High Street.
W3 and W4
The W3 and W4 are Saturday services to and from the town centre. The Gossamers is part of a circular section of the route with the W3 stopping at the bus stop on the opposite side of the road to the shops and the W4 stopping at the bus stop on the same side of the road as the shops.
The times given for the W3 in The Gossamers opposite the shops are: 7:35, 8:25, 8:52 and then 52 minutes past the hour until the last W3 at 15:52.
The times given for the W4 in The Gossamers on the same side of the road as the shops are 21 minutes past the hour from 9:21 until 15:21 and then 16:51, 17:50 and 18:48.
In the town centre both of these services begin at Market Street, Stop J and end at Clarendon Road, Stop A.
W3: Market Street, Exchange Road, Beechen Grove, Clarendon Road, Station Road, Watford Junction Interchange, Woodford Road, Station Road, Langley Road, St Albans Road, Garston Lane, The Gossamers, York Way, Meriden Way, Westlea Avenue, Woodmere Avenue, Bushey Mill Lane, St Albans Road, Langley Road, Station Road, Watford Junction Interchange, Woodford Road, Station Road, Clarendon Road.
W4: Market Street, Exchange Road, Beechen Grove, Clarendon Road, Station Road, Watford Junction Interchange, Woodford Road, Station Road, Langley Road, St Albans Road, Bushey Mill Lane, Woodmere Avenue, Westlea Avenue, Meriden Way, York Way, The Gossamers, Garston Lane, St Albans Road, Langley Road, Station Road, Watford Junction Interchange, Woodford Road, Station Road, Clarendon Road.
UNO 635
The UNO 635 will run Monday to Friday, except on public holidays, between Watford General Hospital and Hatfield, and between Hatfield and Hitchin Railway Station. There is a short, 5-10 minute, break between these two sections of the route but passengers can stay on the same bus for the entire route. On the way into town, the bus is scheduled to stop at the bus stop in the Gossamers on the opposite side of the road to the shops. On the way to Hatfield/Hitchin, the bus will stop on the same side of the road as the shops.
The times given for the bus stops in the Gossamers opposite the shops are as follows:
Heading in to town (opposite side of the road to the shops): 5:52, 6:49, 7:20, 8:27, 9:43, 11:43, 13:13, 14:13, 14:43, 16:32, 17:21, 18:04, 19:23
Heading to Hatfield/Hitchin (same side of the road as the shops): 6:46, 7:51, 8:40, 9:50, 10:55, 12:55, 14:25, 15:25, 16:03, 17:53, 18:45. 19:27, 20:41
The timetables below are available to download from http://www.buscms.com/uno/uploadedfiles/pdftimetable/635_UN59.pdf
