West London Orbital

West London Orbital

Route map of the proposed West London Orbital extension of the London Overground network
Location	London boroughs of Camden, Barnet, Brent, Ealing, Hounslow, United Kingdom
Proposer	West London Alliance group of local authorities
Project website	tfl.gov.uk
Status	Proposal
Type	London Overground extension
Cost estimate	£264M
Completion date	2020s
Stakeholders	Greater London Authority, Transport for London, Network Rail

The West London Orbital is a proposed extension to the London Overground railway system. The extension would make use of a combination of existing freight and passenger lines including the Dudding Hill Line, North London Line and Hounslow Loop. The route would run for approximately 11 miles (17 km) from West Hampstead and Hendon at the northern end to Hounslow at the western end via Brent Cross West, Neasden, Harlesden, Old Oak Common, South Acton and Brentford.

If the extension were opened, it would improve rail connectivity across West and North-West London and establish a number of new connections to existing radial rail infrastructure including Thameslink, the Jubilee line, the Bakerloo line, High Speed 2, Crossrail and the Piccadilly line. It was anticipated the line would be operational by the mid-2020s because it makes use of existing underused rail infrastructure rather than requiring significant lengths of new track or tunnels to be built. The planned line would follow a portion of the route of the former Super Outer Circle that was operated by the Midland Railway from 1878 to 1880.

The scheme is supported by the Mayor and Transport for London's Transport Strategy;^[1] it is still at the proposal stage, although TfL published a business case for the plans in August 2019.^[2]