Orbital line to revolutionise train travel in west London
NEW ROUTES TO STOP NEEDLESS JOURNEYS INTO CITY CENTRE
TRANSPORT across North West and West London is patchy at the best of times, but a proposed new line would revolutionise it – giving residents a quick way of getting around without having to go through central London.
The West London Orbital, as the scheme is known, could be up and running by 2029 according to predictions from Transport for London (TfL).
With the new route, users would be able to get from Hendon, Barnet, in north-west London to Hounslow in the south-west in just 37 minutes – a journey that currently takes an hour-and-a-half involving two Tubes and a National Rail train.
The hope is the line would encourage economic growth along its winding path while giving west Londoners a much easier journey to key places such as Heathrow Airport.
Anyone who has travelled across west and north-west London will know how unintuitive it is.
So often you will be required to travel into central London before heading back out to where you need to be.
An orbital route would mean passengers could head straight to their destination without having to take time-consuming and often more expensive detours into Zone 1 and 2.
This would also free up capacity on other lines.
It is estimated it will serve 11.9 million passengers every year, according to TfL. This could open the area up to more housing development. The TfL website claims the new service would support the creation of up to 15,800 new homes.
Beyond improving travel times and housing, the scheme aims to provide new homes and jobs, improve air quality and bridge the poverty gap found in many of the areas it serves.
According to TfL, the number of jobs accessible to residents within 15 minutes would increase by an average of 14% across the areas surrounding the stations.
This is highest at Syon Lane, with an increase of 76.2%, and Brentford, an increase of 56.2%. Other places, such as Neasden, Cricklewood, and West Hampstead, would see an increase of less than 1%.
It would also increase access to educational and cultural infrastructure, as well as green spaces.
The 18.5km track would serve communities in Hounslow, Ealing,
Brent and Barnet, areas expected to see significant development over the next 20 years.
The line would go from Hounslow to Hendon/West Hampstead calling at Isleworth, Syon Lane, Brentford, Lionel Road/Kew Bridge, South Acton, Acton Central, Old Oak Common, Harlesden and Neasden.
From there the line would split with trains on one branch calling at Brent Cross then Hendon, and the other at Cricklewood and West Hampstead. Four new stations would be built along the route at Old Oak Common, Lionel Road, Neasden and Harlesden.
Getting excited about big transport plans is easy, building them is a whole other ball game. Especially as it is expected to cost between £430 million and £610m with TfL in the middle of a funding crisis.
However, this plan seems to have legs and planners hope to pay for the massive project with contributions from developers and Government funding. TfL will also sip from other revenue streams such as land development and business rates.
In a plan made in October 2021, the project leaders hope to start making detailed designs for the line by 2025 with construction beginning in late 2026.
The line could be running as soon as 2029, changing the face of transport in west London.