Watford councillors call for town stations to be in Zone 6

Councillors have called for Watford's train and tube stations to be added to Transport for London's (TFL) Zone 6.

Its London Underground and London Overground stations are currently in Zones 7 and 8, and a "special fares" area.

The town's Liberal Democrat mayor, Peter Taylor, said the stations should be included in a cheaper zone to reduce passenger costs.

Transport for London has been contacted for comment.

According to 2022-23 Oyster and contactless pricing, a journey from Watford Junction to London Euston costs £11.20, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Under the current fare structure, moving the town into Zone 6 would slash the fare by more than half - to £5.50.

"As somebody who has been campaigning to get us into Zone 6 for the past 15 years, I would say I'm almost priced out of travelling into London," said Liberal Democrat councillor on Watford Borough Council, Marilyn Devonish.

"It's the best part of £20 to do a 20-minute journey.

"That's a lot of cash - and I'm talking about using the Oyster Card, which is the usually the cheapest way to travel."

Ms Devonish said including the stations in Zone 6 would "boost the economy".

"I've spoken to people outside of the borough who would typically come to shop in the borough, but are saying it's become far too expensive for them to make that trip," she said.

"Alternatively, they are opting for the option which everyone is trying to dissuade - getting in a car or Uber."

The current Zone 6 boundary includes Elstree and Borehamwood, Hatch End and Epping.

Mr Taylor included the zone change request in a letter to London mayor Sadiq Khan, in which he also opposed the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ).

Vehicles that do not meet tight emission standards are charged £12.50 per day to travel into the capital - and from 29 August it will be extended to include outer London areas.

Mr Taylor also asked Mr Khan to extend TfL's car scrappage scheme to Watford residents.

The scheme provides low-income Londoners with a grant of up to £2,000 for replacing the highest polluting vehicles.

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