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Did you hear? While the Piccadilly line waits on new trains and the Bakerloo and DLR lines hope to get huge extensions, there’s an entirely new London train line in the works. Transport for London hopes that its proposed West London Orbital will get the green light next month.
TfL wants the West London Orbital (WLO) to receive backing from the government in its autumn budget. If it gets approved, the line will become the seventh branch of the London Overground network.
Plans for the WLO have been ongoing since 2017. Just as the name suggests, the WLO would bring new rail connections to north and west London, travelling from Hounslow to Hendon and West Hampstead via Old Oak Common (the large new rail hub built for HS2). Last week, mayor Sadiq Khan said that along with the DLR extension and Bakerloo extension, it could ‘transform the future of transport in the capital’.
If it goes ahead, the orbital would be built on a freight rail line that hasn’t carried passengers since 1902 and include a new station at Lionel Road (near Gunnersbury Park). It’s thought that it’ll end up costing a grand total of £700m.
Sadiq Khan has also confirmed that, just like the recently rebranded Overground lines, the service will take on a name inspired by the history and diversity of the area that it runs though. He said: ‘As the West London Orbital route would be integrated into the London Overground network, it would be given its own line name, consistent with the principles of the individual line names I launched in 2024.
‘The local communities along the line, the local heritage, history, and interchanges with other lines would all be taken into consideration to find a suitable name that showcases London's rich diversity and makes sense for wayfinding and navigation.’
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