Brexit believed to have done for Old Oak Common and Hythe Road stations

Plans for two new stations on the Overground are likely to be scrapped with Brexit thought to be a significant factor in the abandonment of the projects.

The European Union was part-funding the project to build the stations at Old Oak Common and Hythe Road which would have linked local London Overground services with the HS2 terminal and Crossrail. During a consultation in 2017 there was strong public support for the plan with 94% backing the scheme overall.

However, Liz Peace, the chair of the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) told a recent meeting of the London Assembly that Hythe Road was ‘absolutely off the agenda’ and it was highly unlikely that Old Oak Common would be built as anticipated funding would not be available.

According to a report in Construction News she told the meeting, “TfL have made it clear to us that they are not paying for it because they have done the modelling and they don’t believe there is a demand for it.”

The stations would have provided additional connections to HS2 and the Elizabeth line providing an interchange with the existing North London and West London lines. A major interchange station on Old Oak Common Lane would link London Overground’s North London Line, Elizabeth line (Crossrail) and HS2 rail services providing stations such as Gunnersbury, South Acton and Acton Central with easier access to the new rail infrastructure. The potential new station would have been situated about 350 metres to the west of HS2 and Elizabeth line station between Old Oak Common and Midland Terrace. A pedestrian bridge would have been built linking Victoria Road in North Acton and the station.

A second station on Hythe Road which is currently the site of Car Giant, the second hand car retailer, would have been situated about 700 metres from the HS2 and Elizabeth line station and provided connections with London Overground’s West London Line linking stations such as Shepherd’s Bush, West Brompton and Imperial Wharf.

Two previous consultations into the plan were funded by the European Commission and it is believed further investment would have been made available to allow the project to proceed. Cash-strapped TfL is unable to meet the resulting shortfall.

Old Oak Common Lane station showing overpass from Victoria Road

Ms Peace said that she thought the Old Oak Common Overground station was ‘nice to have’ for the massive Old Oak development but not essential. She said at the moment the possibility of both stations progressing was ‘very slight’. However if HS2 did not proceed and the terminal station at Old Oak Common was not built she thought the future of the project would be jeopardised saying that that future phases of the development would be “totally dependent on the delivery of the station”.

Alex Williams, TfL’s Director of City Planning, said, “There is a good business case and strong public support for the two potential new London Overground stations at Old Oak to support the regeneration of this Opportunity Area. The proposals were always subject to funding being secured and we are currently seeking a package that could enable the stations to be delivered by 2026.”

We have asked the OPDC for comment.

June 18, 2019