Questions to the Mayor
West London Orbital Railway [1]
Andrew Dismore (22-Mar-2018)
Do you welcome the proposals of the West London Alliance of boroughs to open a ‘West London Orbital’ railway, as part of London Overground?The Mayor (22-Mar-2018)
I welcome the proposals to open a ‘West London Orbital’ railway. This new line could support the delivery of many new homes and jobs in west London, as well as improving connectivity across a wide area stretching from Barnet to Hounslow where there are currently limited public transport options for orbital travel. Given the support received for the West London Orbital rail line through the draft consultation on my Transport Strategy, I have strengthened my commitment to delivering the scheme in Proposal 88 of the final strategy, which now states: “The Mayor, through Transport for London (TfL), the West London Alliance boroughs and Network Rail, will work towards the delivery of a new London Overground 'West London Orbital' line connecting Hounslow with Cricklewood and Hendon via Old Oak, Neasden and Brent Cross.” TfL is now beginning the necessary feasibility work to take this proposal forward. I look forward to continuing the collaborative approach with the West London Alliance which has been invaluable in developing the proposal to this point.
West London Orbital Railway [2]
Andrew Dismore (22-Mar-2018)
Will you promote longer-distance trains along the ‘West London Orbital’ railway tracks, such as services between Surrey and Bedfordshire, via several of the London Opportunity Areas?The Mayor (22-Mar-2018)
I welcome support for the proposal to deliver a new West London Orbital railway line. On the basis of the support received through the consultation on my draft Transport Strategy, the Strategy has been amended to set out the potential route and its benefits in more detail.
As the scheme is currently at feasibility stage, no decisions have yet been made regarding service operation. It should be noted that there are a number of capacity constraints on the route that would need to be addressed, notably the interfaces with the Midland Main Line north of Cricklewood, the North London line and the Hounslow loop. These may restrict the number and destination of services that can be offered on the route. There are also several freight services using the line. Taking these constraints into account, the core ambition will be to serve the already identified corridor, as this is where the key opportunity for delivering new homes and jobs lies.
As is common with large infrastructure projects, further details relating to the design and operation of the scheme will be outlined through future public consultation.
West London Orbital Railway [3]
Andrew Dismore (22-Mar-2018)
Will you intervene in Capita's plans for a new Brent Cross station if sufficiently long West London Orbital platforms are not included? [Should have said ‘separate and sufficiently long’.]The Mayor (22-Mar-2018)
I welcome the proposals to open a new ‘West London Orbital’ railway line. This new line could support the delivery of many new homes and jobs in west London, as well as improving connectivity across a wide area stretching from Barnet to Hounslow where there are currently limited public transport options for orbital travel.
At the northern end of the proposed route, there is the potential to include a stop at the planned new Brent Cross Thameslink station to further support new development in the area.
The new Thameslink station will be opened in 2022 and will be delivered as part of the Brent Cross West project. As the West London Orbital scheme is only in the early stages of development, any decision to serve Brent Cross will be dependent on future feasibility work. Subject to the outcome of this work, proposals for Brent Cross will look at whether it will be feasible to support the additional new development. The new Thameslink station will have 12 car long platforms, which would be of sufficient length to support any future West London Orbital service.
