Brent Cross West station is a new station being developed to serve the people of Brent Cross and the northern parts of Cricklewood and Dollis Hill areas of north London, UK.
The project is part of the Brent Cross West Thameslink programme, which will also include the development of a waste transfer station serving Barnet and Camden, replacement of a strategic freight facility, relocation of railway sidings, and construction of supporting infrastructure for drivers and pedestrians.
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The new station is the final component of the Thameslink sub-phase of the £4.5bn ($5.64bn) Brent Cross Cricklewood development and regeneration project which will deliver a mixed-use town centre for Barnet, including more than 7,500 new homes, three million square feet of workspace, schools, and health facilities.
The planning approval for the new station development was awarded by Barnet Council’s Planning Committee in May 2020. With an estimated investment of £40m ($55.78m), the Brent Cross West station is expected to be completed in 2022.
The Brent Cross West programme will provide connections between Brent Cross Cricklewood and central London and beyond. The station will witness more than two million journeys by travellers during its first full year of operation, which will increase to five million upon the completion of the Brent Cross Cricklewood regeneration project in 2031.
Brent Cross West station location and design details
Brent Cross West is being built on the Midland Main Line between Hendon and Cricklewood stations. The station will have direct connections to Brighton, and Luton and Gatwick airports. It will be less than 15 minutes from central London’s Kings Cross St Pancras Station, a key transport hub with rail connections to Europe via Eurostar high-speed rail services.
A covered pedestrian overbridge is being constructed as part of the Brent Cross West programme to provide a new pedestrian route across the Midland Main Line. Passengers can board a train at the station to reach Farringdon for Elizabeth Line services (formerly Crossrail), a new railway for London and the south-east, in approximately 18 minutes.
The new four-platform station will become the gateway to Brent Cross South, a new neighbourhood at the heart of the development. Furthermore, it will provide new transport options for people residing in Brent Cross.
The Brent Cross West station will be the first mainline station outside of central London to be equipped with platform humps. The humps will provide level boarding points on to the floor height of the trains while enabling step-free access from street level to the platforms.
The station design will create a modern and functionally optimal station. The new Thameslink station is expected to have up to eight stopping services per peak hour, while the platforms will be able to accommodate 12-carriage trains.
Brent Cross West station’s eastern entrance details
A new eastern entrance to the station received planning consent from Barnet Council in December 2020. It is designed with sustainable features, timber frames, and biodiversity. The light and airy design of the station entrance will include a roof canopy of glazed panels resting on timber columns.
Environmental elements of the design will include the planting of vines connected to planters on the ground-floor by a wire trellis system and the erection of ornamental trees in the entranceway.
Connecting the new station to Brent Cross Town, the new eastern entrance building will include parking space for 68 cycles, two lifts and escalators up to the new overbridge at the station.
Funding
Barnet Council secured a £419m ($553.21m) funding agreement with the UK Government including funding for the new Brent Cross West station and associated rail works.
The financing deal was secured in partnership with central government partners from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Greater London Authority, and HM Treasury.
Construction works
Preparation works such as clearing the project site began in June 2019. Construction activities include the demolition of the disused train storage shed, construction of station and platforms, and installation of under-track crossings.
The first piles for the station were placed in the ground in October 2020. Work planned for April 2021 include track works between West Hampstead and Mill Hill Broadway to deliver improved track layout and signalling changes.
Key players and contractors involved in Brent Cross West station project
VolkerFitzpatrick was awarded a contract to construct the Brent Cross West station in December 2019. The company serves as the principal contractor for the project. WSP was selected to deliver a multi-disciplinary design of the station in June 2020. The company’s Rail Stations team collaborated with Chapman Taylor to provide the project design.
Global consultancy and construction company Mace was awarded a contract to provide project management services for the new station development in August 2020.
GL Hearn was appointed by the London Borough of Barnet to conduct public consultation for the station project. It provided planning advice as part of the Brent Cross Cricklewood scheme. Network Rail is also a key player in the construction of the new station.
A joint venture between Barnet Council and Argent Related is responsible for the Brent Cross Cricklewood regeneration programme.
