TfL consults on a new Overground route through Acton

Transport for London has opened a consultation on the West London Orbital, a proposed new London Overground service between Hendon and Hounslow. Within Ealing borough, trains would stop at Acton Central and South Acton. Responses can be submitted until 18 November 2026.

The proposal would use existing, partly underused railway lines, including the Dudding Hill Line, which currently carries freight. The full route would be about 18.5 kilometres long. TfL is examining a service of four to six trains an hour and says this option performed best in its assessment of cost, benefits and reliability.

For Acton, the two existing stations are the central issue. Acton Central and South Acton sit on the proposed section between Old Oak Common Lane and Hounslow. TfL says some existing stations may need new platforms or entrances, step-free access improvements or changes to their layouts. The final scope of those works has not yet been fixed.

The project would also require substantial railway infrastructure. At Acton Wells Junction, TfL is considering increasing the number of tracks from two to four and building a new bridge over the Central line. It is also assessing how trains could be powered: full overhead electrification, partial electrification with hybrid battery-electric trains, or battery trains charged at the ends of the route.

The consultation material identifies possible local impacts as well as benefits. More passengers could change walking, cycling, driving and public transport movements around stations. TfL is studying construction effects, noise, environmental impacts and the possible closure of the level crossings at Churchfield Road near Acton Central and Bollo Lane in South Acton. Detailed proposals for any crossing closures would be subject to a future consultation.

This remains an early-stage scheme. Funding has not been secured, and the project would need the necessary consents and powers. TfL says that, if funding work progresses, it could decide at the end of 2027 whether to prepare a Transport and Works Act Order application. Construction could begin in the early 2030s, with services potentially starting around 2035.

Residents can complete the full online survey or submit a shorter response. Easy Read material, audio information, British Sign Language content and a question facility are also available. A local drop-in event is scheduled for 24 October at Act One Cinema on Acton High Street, from 11am to 2pm.

The consultation does not mean the railway has been approved. Responses will help TfL assess benefits and concerns, shape the next stage of station design and prepare a consultation report with replies to the issues raised. TfL aims to publish that report in early 2027.

TfL also sets out wider forecast benefits: support for around 11,500 jobs, more than 25,000 new homes and the potential to avoid about 650,000 car journeys a year. These are project forecasts, not benefits already delivered, so the consultation is also intended to test the assumptions and local costs behind them.