London Overground’s western orbital extension is viable says Mayor

Plans to reopen an old freight railway in West London as an extension of the London Overground have advanced, with the current stage of planning for the project nearing completion.

The work so far has also confirmed that reopening the line would be viable.

(c) TfL

If built, the West London Orbital (WLO) could link Hounslow to Old Oak Common via Neasden and then head to either Brent Cross West and/or West Hampstead. The plans have been under development since 2017, but as always, how to pay for the railway upgrade is the key issue.

The plan is to convert a little-used freight railway line that runs from just north of Cricklewood on the Thameslink line and loops around West London, ever so slightly just missing aligning with several stations on existing lines until it joins up with the London Overground at Acton. Then, the line could take over some existing mainline tracks down towards Hounslow.

It would likely include new junctions at Neasden, Harlesden and new stations at Old Oak Common, and Lionel Road next to Brentford Community Stadium, on the site of the disused Kew station that closed in 1862.

(c) TfL

In 2022, TfL confirmed that the economic case seemed fairly strong and that a benefit/cost ratio of between 1.6 and 2.3 would be positive.

Since then, work has been underway to determine the project’s cost and impact on revenues, train timetables, and, of course, how to pay for it.

In a written answer to Gareth Roberts AM, the Mayor of London said that Transport for London (TfL) continues to work with the councils the line would pass through. He said that the “current stage of development is now nearing completion, including confirmation of the costs of the scheme.”

The good news is that the work so far has confirmed there are “feasible solutions for all elements of the project”.

The Mayor added that to deliver the scheme, “funding would be needed from local sources and national Government as well as TfL/GLA. The Government is aware that West London Orbital is one of my priorities for expansion of London’s transport network.”

Given the nature of the project, he expects that commercial developers along the route would be expected to contribute to the cost of the railway. Previous analysis has suggested that improved transport links could unlock around 16,000 new homes in west London and up to 23,000 new jobs.

Back in 2017, the cost of opening the railway was put at somewhere around £250-£300 million, but that will have risen sharply since then, so it may be in the region of £600 million now.

Previous studies have also considered the potential for an Overground station at Old Oak Common, offering an interchange with the mainline, HS2 and Elizabeth lines. However that would push up costs, and unrelated plans for an Overground station in the area were dropped due to the pandemic funding situation.

The Mayor has previously said a decision on whether they should request a Transport & Works Act Order for the scheme could be made in the late 2020s.

If all the cards fall into place, then in maybe a decade’s time, it will be possible to catch a passenger train over a railway line that last saw regular passenger services over a century ago.