The main proponent of the scheme was Hertfordshire County Council but it failed to win the support of Transport for London (TfL) which owns the Watford branch.

The present-day London Underground Watford station is situated close to Cassiobury Park and somewhat peripheral to the town centre.

[24] Because the line lay entirely within Hertfordshire, it was championed by the county council who lobbied for funding from LRT (later TfL) and the Department for Transport for 16 years.

[2][26] Difficulties arose in securing the remaining funding from the Department for Transport (DfT) and a revised project submission, under new guidelines, was prepared, with a view to obtaining Programme Entry status.

[30] Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) agreed to allocate £25.8 million which it hoped to recover through ticket sales and other London Underground revenue.

Following the Cameron–Clegg coalition's Comprehensive Spending Review the project was placed in the pre-qualification pool and a further submission made to the Department for Transport in January 2011.

In February 2011 the Department for Transport placed the project into a qualification pool of works that would be subjected to further assessments in order to bid for funding.

[42] In late 2020, Three Rivers District Council announced that it was seeking to revive the link, citing it as a "shovel ready" project.

Discussing the bid, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Croxley Green Peter Getkahn cited Boris Johnson's pledge to "build back better" after the COVID-19 pandemic, mentioning that the extension to the Metropolitan line would be a suitable target for this.

[46][50] The proposed route of the line would have passed close to Watford General Hospital, where a major business, retail and residential development has been planned.

The plan to close the station had been the subject of some local opposition, and campaigners argued for a reduced shuttle service to be operated on the branch.

[53] Ending services on part of the line and closing a station require a formal closure process involving London TravelWatch.

The possible schemes include:[58] The W2CL proposals are currently unfunded, and Hertfordshire County Council have invited competitive tenders for conceptual design submissions.