A brand-new Overground line in west London just got a step closer to actually happening. The West London Orbital line, which hasn’t carried passengers for over 100 years, is set to be revived as a service on the orange train network – and now we know more about Transport for London’s plans for the line.
TfL has revealed that the service is set to run for 18.5 kilometres between Hounslow and Hendon. As well as making travel easier in north and northwest London, the line would link up with the Jubilee line (at Neasden) and trains to Luton airport (from Hendon and Brent Cross West).
The WLO would also be within walking distance of the Central line (at North Acton) and Old Oak Common, a new £4.3 billion HS2 station that will eventually be one of the biggest travel hubs in the UK.
The new line is expected to have up to six trains per hour, with TfL saying that it will ‘fill a key missing link in London’s rail network’. It’ll make use of existing freight lines.
TfL reckons that the new route could help deliver 25,000 homes, 11,500 jobs and up to £1.3 billion in wider economic benefits, as well as cut around 650,000 car journeys a year. If formally confirmed in 2027, it’s thought that the project could cost up to £700 million and be running by the mid-2030s.
And that’s about as much as we know about the new line so far. While all Overground routes were named and coloured back in 2024, the West London Orbital’s name hasn’t been confirmed. The line’s colour on a map hasn’t been confirmed either, though a kind of pale pink was used in TfL’s latest press release.
West London Orbital stations list
- Old Oak Common Lane (for Old Oak Common and North Acton)
- Lionel Road (for Kew Bridge)
Proposed West London Overground map
Do you live or work near any of the stops on the West London Orbital Overground line? TfL has just opened a first consultation on plans for the service, running until November 18. You can have a say on how it might impact you here.
Did you see that north London could also soon get a new Overground line?
Plus: King’s Cross St Pancras tube station just opened a game-changing new entrance.
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