[title]
The West London Orbital sounds quite a lot like a roller coaster – and its journey to becoming a reality is proving a bit of a ride.
Since 2024 plans to revive an abandoned train line in west London and turn it into part of the Overground network have been getting serious traction. And this week there’s been another positive update, as City Hall has revealed that cash will be set aside to explore making it actually happen.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has confirmed that his 2026/27 budget will include £400,000 to ‘progress the business case’ for the planned line. It’s one of three major transport projects he wants to finally get moving alongside the Bakerloo line extension and the DLR’s long-awaited expansion to Thamesmead.
If built, the West London Orbital would link up parts of north and west London. By repurposing an old freight rail line that hasn’t carried passengers since 1902, the new line would connect Hounslow to Hendon and West Hampstead via Old Oak Common. If approved, it would become the seventh branch of the Overground network.
As you may have guessed, however, all this won’t come cheap. The WLO is expected to cost between £430 million and £610 million to build – hence the need for City Hall to make a business case for the line. In return, the new route is expected to unlock thousands of new homes and jobs in areas like Hounslow, Harlesden and Hendon and could pump around £300 million into the local economy in its first decade.
The £400,000 from City Hall has given more hope for the West London Orbital, even if the project doesn’t yet have the government’s seal of approval and cash boost that it needs.
Bassam Mahfouz, the Labour member of the London Assembly for Ealing and Hillingdon, told the Standard that the WLO is no longer ‘some distant pipe dream’ and that the funding ‘could mean construction starting as early as next year, with trains running in the early 2030s’.
RECOMMENDED: 🚇 All the upgrades and new services coming to London’s transport network in 2026.
Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.