The Anonymous Widower

Brent Cross West Station – 10th December 2023

The new Brent Cross West station opened today, so I went to have a look.

Note.

1. There are two island platforms.
2. The platforms can handl2 12-car Class 700 trains.
3. The Eastern island, which is Platforms 1 and 2, is for Thameslink and has two escalators, two lifts, two sets of stairs and two toilets.
4. The toilets on the Eastern platforms are an identical pair to cater for everyone.
5. The Western island, which is Platforms 3 and 4, is for the main lines and has one lift and two sets of stairs.
6. The arriving Thameslink Class 700 train is stopping in Platform 1 on the way to London.
7. Signs indicate a cafe, but I couldn’t find it, so I assume that is for the future.
8. The shelters on the platforms are heated.
9. Both entrances have two lifts, at least one or two escalators and stairs.

The outside photos were taken two days later.

I have some other thoughts.

The Station Layout

The station has a slightly unusual and very practical layout.

• There is a longish and high bridge over the multiple tracks through the station.
• It is step-free with lifts and escalators at each end to give step-free access across the railway.
• The bridge is wide and is built for cycles.
• The trains are accessed from a spacious lobby, which is separated from the bridge by a long gate-line.
• The lifts, stairs and escalators all lead down from the spacious lobby.

The station must have a very high passenger capacity.

The Track Layout

This OpenRailwayMap shows the track layout at the station.

Note.

1. The Eastern island platform between the 90 mph Thameslink tracks.
2. The Western island platform between the 100-105 mph main line tracks.
3. The two most-Easterly tracks give access to the Cricklewood Depot.
4. The two black tracks
5. The blue tracks connect to the Dudding Hill Line.
6. The two black tracks between the blue tracks and the main line tracks are the Up and Down Hendon tracks, which run between Hendon and West Hampstead Thameslink stations, which seem to allow trains to cross over from one side of the tracks to the other.

The large number of tracks must make operation easier.

The West London Orbital Railway

The Hendon and Kew Bridge route of the West London Orbital Railway is planned to call at Brent Cross West station.

It looks like it will use the two Hendon tracks through Brent Cross West and Hendon stations and trains will take the Dudding Hill Line to Neasden to the South of Brent Cross West station.

The West London Orbital Railway will connect Hendon and Brent Cross West station to High Speed Two and the Elizabeth Line, so it will be a very important connection for the residents of the area.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the track layout between the Dudding Hill Line and Hendon.

Note.

1. Hendon station is in the North-West corner of the map.
2. The orange tracks are the Midland Main Line
3. Brent Cross West station is marked by the blue arrow.
4. The yellow tracks going towards the South-West are the Dudding Hill Line.

The Hendon route will need new platforms at Hendon and Brent Cross West station.

Conclusion

I like the station and I think others will be built on similar principles.

December 11, 2023 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Brent Cross West Station, Class 700 Train, Dudding Hill Line, Elizabeth Line, High Speed Two, Midland Main Line, New Stations, Step-Free, Thameslink, West London Orbital Railway