See the ‘fantastic site’ for a new tube station
NORTH KENSINGTON COULD BE PART OF CROSSRAIL PROJECT
PROPOSALS for North Kensington to get its own station on the longdelayed Crossrail project have been put back on track.
Kensington & Chelsea Council confirmed it is in talks with Network Rail on producing a feasibility study that could lead to the “Kensal Portobello Station” being built.
Also called the Elizabeth Line, the 73-mile underground route will link Shenfield in Essex to Reading, with branches to Heathrow Airport and Abbey Wood in South East London.
The Conservative-run council has long been calling for the station to be built in the north of the borough, although little has been reported about the idea for several years.
A council spokesperson said that during 2020, its officers have “been talking to Network Rail about railway modelling to test the operational impact of a station on other rail services”.
Canal Way, near the Kensington
Gas Works and a Sainsbury’s superstore, is being eyed up as a location for the station.
Meanwhile, the council’s 2019 Local Plan refers to the area as the ‘Kensal Canalside Opportunity Area’, and says 3,500 homes could eventually be built there.
In July last year, deputy council leader Kim Taylor-Smith said: “This is a fantastic site, it is almost a complete new ward. It will make a significant dent in our [housing] waiting list.”
Parts of the Elizabeth Line were originally planned to open in December 2018. In August, Crossrail’s board announced that the first section, between Paddington and Abbey Wood, may not be operational until 2022. The project’s total spend has also risen from £14.8 billion to more than £18 billion.
The Gazette approached the council for its view on whether the working-from-home culture that has emerged from the coronavirus pandemic might undermine the need for a new train line to central London.
The council spokesperson said:
“This is an issue for the whole railway industry, and it is too early to know exactly what difference Covid19 will make to business case assessments for new stations.”
TfL was approached for comment.