New Brent Cross West mainline station opens

Brent Cross West station has opened, marking the first new mainline station to open in London in over a decade.

The £419m project was due to take place in 2030, but was brought forward to put infrastructure in place before thousands move into new homes, said London Mayor Sadiq Khan. Direct Thameslink services will run to Luton Airport Parkway and Farringdon, providing a link to the Elizabeth line.

Six trains will run every hour on weekdays and Saturdays, with eight at peak times.

The Orbital is a proposed extension to the London Overground that would use existing rail lines running from West Hampstead and Hendon towards Hounslow.

Positioned on the Midland Main Line between existing Hendon and Cricklewood stations, the station will enable through-journeys from Bedford to Brighton, and will take 12 minutes for passengers to connect from St Pancras International. At peak times, there will be up to eight trains per hour with direct connections to Farringdon for Elizabeth Line services and to Luton Airport.

The station will have step-free access from street level to the platforms, and once the station opens, the new overbridge will provide 24-hour access to residents living on both the east and west side of the tracks, connecting the areas of Brent Cross Town and the Staples Corner Retail Park and Edgware Road for the first time in 150 years.

A new transport interchange is also being built, with three bus routes proposed to stop directly outside the station.

Find out more about these and other developments at Rail Stations + Property on 5 March in London, organised by Landor LINKS, sponsored by Burges Salmon and supported by LTT.

The event will focus on: changing travel patterns, including the resurgence of leisure travel; stations as hubs, with a focus on mobility hubs; and transport-led development with a spotlight on major UK projects.