We [DEM Overground] have been working with Network Rail who have undertaken timetable assessment, traction power modelling, and internal sponsorship activities for the scheme.
To read the Technical Presentation
To watch the West London Orbital Railway presentation on YouTube
Reading through the presentation, I am left with a view that the costs to provide 2tph to Cricklewood and West Hampstead doesn’t justify the journeys enabled. Even with the proposed housing developments in the West Hampstead area (Landsec’s locally controversial o2 Centre redevelopment to add 1900 households, omitted from slide 6 despite getting approval in the reports timeline and within a reasonable ped-shed of West Hampstead TL station).
Anyone needing stations not served could take a train to BCW or Hendon instead and change to a Thameslink service (potentially extending a few journeys beyond the golden 45-60 minutes)
Hendon is proposed will get more tph so is seen as more worthwhile of the work needed, although you could argue that West Hampstead actually should get the majority of tph and eliminate Hendon.
That said, maybe even serving just BCW (terminating there, all change for onwards trains via Hendon or Cricklewood) would actually deliver sufficient benefit at a reduced cost.
Yes the interchange at BCW is a bit lengthy–Hendon and West Hampstead may be easier interchanges for onwards journeys.
(I’m assuming there would be no practical possibility or merit to enable some services to travel towards Marylebone from where the WLO route crosses the Chiltern mainline)
@MilesT
And, even with only that insufficient train service
“Analysis has demonstrated that all three level crossings on the route would be closed to traffic for over 70% of the time with WLO services, with closure periods of up to 11 minutes at Acton Central, Bollo Lane Ealing and Wood Lane, Hounslow.”
I would venture that the Level crossing need engineered before the WLO is viable. This is all a bit Silverlink-thinking.
@Brian @MilesT
I’ve been saying for some time that the West Hampstead leg is pointless – the Jubilee and Mildmay lines already provide shorter connections for most journeys. I note that the Kew Bridge leg has been quietly dropped and I wonder if the West Hampstead one is being retained deliberately in anticipation of a future political demand to trim the scope?
@Brian – doesn’t the report say that the three level crossings will all have to be closed for this scheme? That’s what I read it to mean. It does seem odd to close the Western crossing on Bollo lane but retain the Eastern one, which is used by the Mildmay line. I suppose it would be possible to close both with the route via Chiswick Park being used for access between them, but the recent development at 100/102 Bollo Lane is frustrating as it generates traffic across the crossings and increases the challenge of doing anything with them. That site could have been used as part of a scheme to provide alternative access.
The Kew Bridge leg may have been dropped due to two issues. First: severe curvature, my notes show a radius of 10chains / 200m. Second: the possible location of a crossover for reversing, the nearest place being under the Great West Road (A4/M4). Both of these possibly placing undue restrictions on safety and operation.
TfL Programmes and Investment Committee meeting on 5 March 2025 heard that TfL have completed the initial feasibility study for the West London Orbital scheme, with the best performing option being a new 6tph service between Hendon and Hounslow (4tph end to end and 2tph Hendon to Old Oak Common Lane). This suggests to me uneven intervals, which would make the service less attractive.