The Anonymous Widower

The Proposed Lionel Road Station On the West London Orbital Railway

Starting with Lionel Road station may seem a strange place to start, but this important station for supporters of Brentford FC, may in the end define how the new line is designed and built.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the tracks around the stadium, that has been built for the Premier League football club, which is now called the Gtech Community Stadium.

Note.

1. In the North-West corner of the map is the Piccadilly Line branch to Heathrow Airport.
2. Northfields Depot is prominent, with the station of the same name to its East.
3. South Acton station is in the North-East corner of the map.
4. Syon Lane station is in the South-West corner of the map.
5. The West London Orbital Railway runs between these two stations.
6. Lilac sections are electrified and black sections have none.
7. South Acton station is also on the North London Line, which runs North-South to Richmond station off the bottom of the map.
8. Syon Lane Station is also on the Hounslow Loop Line, which curves across the bottom half of the map to the South-East corner.
9. Click the map to show it to a larger scale.

This second OpenRailwayMap shows triangular junction in the middle of the first map to a larger scale.

 

Note.

1. The Gtech Community Stadium sits in the middle of the triangular junction.
2. Provision has been made in the layout of the stadium for the station to be on the North-West leg of the triangular junction.
3. Kew East Junction is in the North-East corner of the map.
4. Old Kew Junction is in the South-West corner of the triangular junction.
5. New Kew Junction is in the South-East corner of the triangular junction.
6. The lilac track crossing the map is the electrified Hounslow Loop Line.
7. The M4/A4 runs across the map
8. Only the Southern leg of the triangular junction is electrified.
9. Click the map to show it to a larger scale.

These are some of my thoughts.

Lionel Road Station Will Be Unlikely To Be Electrified

Consider

• It will be extremely unlikely that between South Acton station and Old Kew junction will be electrified with third-rail electrification because of safety issues.
• There is a very long chance, that it might be decided to create a 25 KVAC overhead electrified route across London, by means of the North London Line.
• I believe hydrogen trains will be developed for freight services.
• The station will have large numbers of passengers on match-days, so safety may determine an electrification-free station.
• The electrification gap is only 1.4 miles, which is well within range of a battery-electric train.

I think it is more likely that hybrid trains will use what is available.

Will Lionel Road Station Be Step-Free?

Sixty years ago, I used Manchester United  station to see a match.

This Google Map shows the station.

Note.

1. The station is a single platform tucked in behind the South stand.
2. The station entrance is indicated by a red arrow.
3. When I went in the 1960s, the train was a steam-hauled shuttle from the city centre.
4. This Wikipedia entry gives more details.

I suspect a similar space-saving design could be used at Lionel Road station.

There will be a need for a bridge if the station is used on more than match days.

Will Lionel Road And Kew Bridge Stations Be An Out Of Station Interchange?

This OpenRailwayMap shows the triangular junction, with the GTech Community Stadium in the middle.

Note.

1. Lionel Road station will be on the North-West side of the station.
2. Kew Bridge station is marked by a blue arrow.
3. There appear to be walking routes all over the plot on which the stadium sits.
4. All sides of the junction are double track.

I think an Out-Of-Station Interchange would be useful, especially for those who don’t know the area.

How Easy Will It Be To Get To Lionel Road Station From Major London Stations?

These are my best estimates at a degree of difficulty.

• Bank – 1 Change – Take Central Line  with a change at Old Oak Common Lane to Lionel Road.
• Blackfriars – 1 Change – Take Thameslink with a change at Brent Cross West to Lionel Road.
• Bond Street- 1 Change – Take Elizabeth Line  with a change at Old Oak Common Lane to Lionel Road.
• Cannon Street – 2 Changes – Get out at London Bridge – Take Thameslink with a change at Brent Cross West to Lionel Road.
• Charing Cross – 1 Change – Take Bakerloo Line  with a change at Harlesden to Lionel Road.
• City Thameslink – 1 Change – Take Thameslink with a change at Brent Cross West to Lionel Road.
• Euston – 1 Change – Take Watford DC Line with a change at Harlesden to Lionel Road.
• Farringdon – 1 Change – Take Thameslink with a change at Brent Cross West to Lionel Road.
• King’s Cross – 1 Change – Take Thameslink with a change at Brent Cross West to Lionel Road.
• Liverpool Street – 2 Changes – Get out at Stratford – Take the Overground with a change at South Acton to Lionel Road.
• Liverpool Street – 1 Change – Take Elizabeth Line  with a change at Old Oak Common Lane to Lionel Road.
• London Bridge – 1 Change – Take Thameslink with a change at Brent Cross West to Lionel Road.
• Marylebone – 1 Change – Take Bakerloo Line  with a change at Harlesden to Lionel Road.
• Moorgate – 1 Change – Take Elizabeth Line  with a change at Old Oak Common Lane to Lionel Road.
• Old Street – 2 Changes – Go to Moorgate – Take Elizabeth Line  with a change at Old Oak Common Lane to Lionel Road.
• Oxford Circus – 1 Change – Take Bakerloo Line  with a change at Harlesden to Lionel Road.
• Paddington – 1 Change – Take Elizabeth Line  with a change at Old Oak Common Lane to Lionel Road.
• Piccadilly Circus – 1 Change – Take Bakerloo Line  with a change at Harlesden to Lionel Road.
• St. Pancras – 1 Change – Take Thameslink with a change at Brent Cross West to Lionel Road.
• St. Paul’s – 1 Change – Take Central Line  with a change at Old Oak Common Lane to Lionel Road.
• Tottenham Court Road – 1 Change – Take Elizabeth Line  with a change at Old Oak Common Lane to Lionel Road.
• Vauxhall – 2 Changes – Go to Oxford Circus – Take Bakerloo Line  with a change at Harlesden to Lionel Road.
• Victoria – 2 Changes – Go to Oxford Circus – Take Bakerloo Line  with a change at Harlesden to Lionel Road.
• Waterloo – Direct – Direct train to Kew Bridge.
• Waterloo – 1 Change – Take Bakerloo Line  with a change at Harlesden to Lionel Road

Note.

1. It does appear that the connections in stations like Brent Cross West, Harlesden and Old Oak Common Lane, will make a lot of difficult cross-London journeys easier.
2. But not many journeys to the GTech Community Stadium, finish at Kew Bridge station.
3. Most journeys pick up the West London Orbital at Brent Cross West, Harlesden or Old Oak Common Lane, which probably means these three stations should be step-free.
4. As I’ve been writing this, I do wonder if now is the time to create a pedestrian connection between City Thameslink and St. Paul’s stations, that I wrote about in A Pedestrian Connection Between City Thameslink Station And St. Paul’s Tube Station.

I do believe though that there are places on the Central Line, where small projects can give a high return on expenditure.

Conclusion

Surprisingly, this is a lot more than just a station for a Premier League football club.

 

 

 

March 6, 2026 Posted by AnonW | Sport, Transport/Travel | Acton North Station, Bakerloo Line, Brent Cross West Station, Brentford FC, Brentford Station, City Thameslink - St. Paul's Pedestrian Link, City Thameslink Station, Elizabeth Line, Football, Gtech Community Stadium, Harlesden Station, Heathrow Airport, Hounslow Loop Line, leagu, Lionel Road Station, Moorgate Station, North London Line, Old Oak Common Lane Station, Out Of Station Interchange, Piccadilly Line, Richmond Station, South Acton Station, St. Paul's Station, Step-Free, Syon Lane Station, Victoria Line, West London Orbital Railway | Leave a comment