Hammersmith Road cycleway to become permanent after council backs TfL’s £20m plan
Cabinet voted unanimously for the C9 scheme, which adds three floating bus stops. A resident had urged councillors to reject it over safety.
Richmond asks for West London Orbital to run on to Twickenham, TfL cites timetable limits
The council wants the planned Hendon to Hounslow Overground line to reach Whitton and Twickenham. The consultation closes on 18 November.
Key facts
- TfL's consultation on the West London Orbital is open until 18 November
- The proposed Overground line would run 18.5km between Hendon and Hounslow
- Richmond Council wants it extended through Whitton to Twickenham
- The plan includes new stations at Lionel Road, Old Oak Common Lane, Harlesden and Neasden
Richmond Council wants TfL to look at extending the West London Orbital, a proposed London Overground line between Hendon and Hounslow, two stops further to Whitton and Twickenham. TfL says the extra trains could not be added without hitting other services.
The public consultation on the new line is open until 18 November.
Why Richmond wants the Overground at Twickenham
Twickenham is served by South Western Railway, and the nearest Overground stations are at Richmond and Kew Gardens. At a council meeting on Tuesday 6 October, council leader Gareth Roberts said the authority supported the idea of the line but that it “quite literally doesn’t go far enough”. He said that taking it through Whitton and Twickenham would create an important interchange, and that the chance would be lost if it was not looked at now.
Lib Dem councillor Andrew Duncan called the decision to leave out Twickenham “a missed opportunity” for the borough and for South West London. Roberts said the Overground’s arrival in Richmond in 2007 was the borough’s most recent new piece of infrastructure, and that 20 years without another was “a disgrace”.
What TfL says about extending the line
A TfL spokesperson said running more Overground trains between Hounslow and Twickenham would mean fewer trains and slower journeys on other services. Trains would also need somewhere to turn back at Twickenham without blocking through services, which would take major works there. TfL added that the extension would not save much time, because people in the Twickenham area can already change at Richmond for the Mildmay line, or at Hounslow on the same platform for the new line.
The proposed 18.5km route would make use of existing tracks that carry few trains. Lionel Road and Old Oak Common Lane would each get a new station, as would Harlesden and Neasden. Hendon and Brent Cross West would gain extra platforms. Passengers could change for Tube, Overground, rail and Elizabeth line services along the way.
Key questions
When does the West London Orbital consultation close?
TfL is consulting on the proposed line until 18 November.
Will the West London Orbital go to Twickenham?
It is not in the current plans. Richmond Council has asked TfL to look at an extension, but TfL says the extra trains could not be timetabled without cutting and slowing other services.
Where would the new West London Orbital stations be?
The plan has new stations at Lionel Road, Old Oak Common Lane, Harlesden and Neasden. Hendon and Brent Cross West would get extra platforms.
No direct Stansted trains from Liverpool Street on 17 and 18 October
Track work also closes part of the Weaver line for the weekend and shuts the Hertford East branch for nine days.
Kilburn Mews finished: 12 railway arches by the station now seek tenants
Places for London has finished converting 12 arches under the Jubilee and Metropolitan lines and is now looking for businesses to move in.
South Tottenham station garden reaches the World Cup of Stations final 20
Two station assistants turned wasteland into a community garden. Public voting runs until Sunday 18 October, and the winner will be named on 20 October.