The incredible £900m train line that could add 3 new stations to London Underground

Crowds get on busy train on the London underground

The feasibility design stage of a new £900 million railway line has been completed for West London (Image: Getty)

A that could make in an easier and cleaner process for residents and visitors has taken one step closer to reality.

(TfL), Mott MacDonald, and the West London Alliance (WLA) have announced that the feasibility design stage of the proposed West London Orbital (WLO) has been completed.

Speaking to , Matthew Rhienberg, major projects and urban design manager at TfL, highlighted that the line would help to reduce congestion on the North Circular and .

He explained: “You’ve got this section of west and north west London where there are some orbital roads, like the North Circular, but to you need several buses on a congested road network – it’s slow going.

“It crosses various lines like the Jubilee line, Elizabeth line, Bakerloo line and other London Overground routes. While post- some of these routes aren’t as busy as they were at peak hours, they are still forecast to be very congested in the future.”

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Queue of traffic on the North Circular in London

Supporters claim that the new 11-mile line would help to reduce congestion on the North Circular (Image: Getty)

First outlined in August 2019, the WLO would span the distance of around 11 miles from West Hampstead and Hendon to Hounslow.

Trains running on the line would stop at a total of 14 stops in the area, including new stations at Old Oak Common, Brent Cross, and Wembley.

Supporters of the project, including London Mayor Sadiq Khan, argue that the line would add more jobs to the area, whilst reducing congestion on the roads and at larger stations such as Paddington and King’s Cross.

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View of canal boats floating in Old Oak Common

The line would also see a number of new stations open in places such as Old Oak Common (Image: Getty)

Nevertheless, Chris Williams, associate structural engineer at Mott MacDonald, noted that the WLO project will require a lot of key changes to provide necessary infrastructure.

He added: “You’ve got a combination of existing operational lines at the southern side, you’ve got freight lines which will need to be upgraded in terms of signalling, there’s some twin tracking pieces of work and stabling – that presents a number of challenges that need to be overcome.

“The other things we’ve been looking at are operational logistics such as making sure there’s sufficient turn backing, stabling, operational resilience and practicalities of access for new rolling stock that would need to be provided.”

Whilst the feasibility design stage for WLO is completed and Sadiq Khan has given the project the green light, the line is still a considerably long way from completion. First, the plans, which are set to cost up to £900 million, will need to undergo a public consultation. If successful, TfL would then need to apply for a Transport and Works Act Order in either 2027 or 2028.

If all of this is achieved and construction can begin, the companies involved are hoping to begin work in about 2030, with the first trains running on the line by 2033.

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