Long-awaited Brent Cross West Station is now expected to open to passengers in autumn, reports Simon Allin, Local Democracy Reporter

Construction workers outside Brent Cross West

Signs have been installed at the new Brent Cross West Station ahead of its expected opening in autumn this year.

The railway station, which is on the Midland Main Line between Cricklewood and Hendon, is being built as part of the multi-billion-pound Brent Cross Cricklewood regeneration scheme.

One of the largest regeneration projects in Europe, the Barnet Council-led scheme is set to provide an expanded shopping centre and a new town comprising 6,700 homes – and the station is seen as key to the progress of the wider development.

Up to eight Thameslink trains are expected to run from the new station per hour at peak times, taking passengers from Brent Cross to central London in as little as twelve minutes and providing direct rail services to Luton Airport.

Plans for the station were approved in 2020 and the project was originally due for completion last year – but delays have seen the expected opening date pushed back.

Signs were installed above Brent Cross West’s eastern and western entrances last month, while ceiling panels and floor tiles have also been put in place.

The station, which is being built by VolkerFitzpatrick, is also designed to link up to the proposed West London Orbital Route, a new London Overground line that will run from Hounslow and Kew Bridge towards Hendon and West Hampstead.

Barnet Council leader Barry Rawlings said: “The new Brent Cross West Station is fundamental to our plans to transform the local area, creating thousands of new jobs and much-needed new housing. It’s great to see the new signage signalling the progress of this ambitious project.”

The council also plans to provide bike storage facilities and bus and cycle links to the surrounding area. A new transport interchange is also being built, with three bus routes expected to stop directly outside the station.

Alan Schneiderman, cabinet member for environment and climate change, said: “We are on a journey with local people, communities and businesses to become a net zero borough. The new station at Brent Cross West is important in helping to achieve this by improving public transport options and offering an environmentally friendly way to connect across the borough and the capital.”

A report presented to a meeting of the council’s housing and growth committee in March revealed works on the first phase plots at Brent Cross Town are now “well underway” with two building cores “clearly visible from the surrounding areas”.

An official opening date for Brent Cross West Station is due to be announced later in summer.

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