New Brent Cross West (Thameslink) station

[Mikey C]

Except if you’re using the train or tube from Zone 3 to/from Zone 1, you’d be hitting the daily cap before spending all the bus fare money.

However I really don’t get it. The journey to Cricklewood or Dollis Hill can’t be more than a 20 minute walk, compared to wha5 will be a 6-8 minute walk to Brent Cross West. It seems a lot of fuss is being made for the sake of an extra 20 minutes or so walk per day for a few months.

It's still a useful time saving, and will help regenerate what is currently a relatively remote and rundown area.

 

[Bald Rick]

It's still a useful time saving, and will help regenerate what is currently a relatively remote and rundown area.

Oh I’m not complaining about the station.

 

[Ladder23]

It's still a useful time saving, and will help regenerate what is currently a relatively remote and rundown area.

Be interesting to see the regeneration as a whole, the area looks beyond saving in my eyes it's so doom and gloom, hopefully it'll turn around.

 

[Bald Rick]

Be interesting to see the regeneration as a whole, the area looks beyond saving in my eyes it's so doom and gloom, hopefully it'll turn around.

It’s already happening, hence the developer paying a few hundred million for the station.

More details of the £4bn+ development are on a dedicated website:

Home - Transforming Brent Cross Cricklewood

transformingbx.co.uk

 

[jon0844]

I hope it all goes to plan, unlike the grand Meridian Water plans that seemed to go so badly wrong. That too got a nice new station!!

 

[PGAT]

Meridian Water was just effectively a replacement of Angel Road: the former least used station in the whole capital, so no wonder it failed.

 

[class717]

To be fair MW is described by the council as being a 25 year project

 

[jon0844]

Meridian Water was just effectively a replacement of Angel Road: the former least used station in the whole capital, so no wonder it failed.

The station was primarily built because the whole area was going to be totally regenerated. Thus far, how much has actually happened? Ikea has closed down and...?

To be fair MW is described by the council as being a 25 year project

And how many years in are we already? Ten?

 

[PGAT]

Passenger numbers at MW have been 0.233 million from 2021-2022. It was expected to be over 4 million. The service pattern is underwhelming as well, with a relatively infrequent half-hourly shuttle from Stratford.

 

[class717]

The station was primarily built because the whole area was going to be totally regenerated. Thus far, how much has actually happened? Ikea has closed down and...?



And how many years in are we already? Ten?

Apparently the first houses are going to be done by 2026 haha

 

[dk1]

Passenger numbers at MW have been 0.233 million from 2021-2022. It was expected to be over 4 million. The service pattern is underwhelming as well, with a relatively infrequent half-hourly shuttle from Stratford.

I think that 4million figure is in the future when the full development potential is realised. Considering it’s still to get off the ground & being the back end of the pandemic, 233k is quite an impressive figure.

 

[Bald Rick]

Apparently the first houses are going to be done by 2026 haha

The first homes are built, and are due for completion / occupation in the next couple of months. This is the first part of the first phase, of 950 homes.

 

[leytongabriel]

I think you have to take the usage figures at Meridian Water with a pinch of salt as it's a station you can just walk in and out of, unstaffed, like many on the Lea Valley line. Serving a pretty poor area there must be a good number of non-paying users too.

 

[PGAT]

I think you have to take the usage figures at Meridian Water with a pinch of salt as it's a station you can just walk in and out of, unstaffed, like many on the Lea Valley line. Serving a pretty poor area there must be a good number of non-paying users too.

Brent Cross West will also have way better travel options than Meridian Water. MW doesn't even have direct access to a London terminus off-peak

 

[cle]

There have also been a fair few smaller developments from Cricklewood Bus Garage and up, for whom this station would be useful. As well as those 'arse end of Neasden' streets where the 16 used to turn left. And jobs dotted around Staples Corner.

I think it will end up being very well-used in various ways.

 

[jon0844]

The true measure is how many new people it beings to the railway, rather than say just moving people from another nearby station.

 

[Railwaysceptic]

If 950 new homes are going to be built on the station's doorstep, then it will undoubtedly be used to some extent eventually. Because there is a large Tesco on the other side of the road, I use the station myself every now and then and I'm never the only person on the platform. As the station is more a replacement than a speculative new build like Reston, I don't regard it as a failure at all. I am, of course, disappointed that the new houses have taken so long to come on stream.

 

[cle]

If 950 new homes are going to be built on the station's doorstep, then it will undoubtedly be used to some extent eventually. Because there is a large Tesco on the other side of the road, I use the station myself every now and then and I'm never the only person on the platform. As the station is more a replacement than a speculative new build like Reston, I don't regard it as a failure at all. I am, of course, disappointed that the new houses have taken so long to come on stream.

This is Meridian Water? Housing has definitely been slower - and 950 homes isn't that many to justify a new fancy station. Look at Barking Riverside for instance. But the service will improve with the capacity works coming - so there will be a solid 4tph service to Tottenham (for Vic) and Stratford. I'd expect Liverpool St calls in time.

 

[Bald Rick]

This is Meridian Water? Housing has definitely been slower - and 950 homes isn't that many to justify a new fancy station.

950 is the first phase, being built now. The end game is 10,000 homes.

 

[greyman42]

The first homes are built, and are due for completion / occupation in the next couple of months. This is the first part of the first phase, of 950 homes.

Does anyone know what sort of price range these houses are in?

 

[Bald Rick]

Does anyone know what sort of price range these houses are in?

The first batch are council homes, I presume for rent, and flats rather than houses.

 

[Recessio]

Yes and you will be able to use the foot bridge to cross over without going through a gateline

Thanks. Excellent news. Mate of mine lives literally just on the east side of the station and is super excited, mostly for the better transport options but the footbridge is a huge help too.

 

[zero]

I think you have to take the usage figures at Meridian Water with a pinch of salt as it's a station you can just walk in and out of, unstaffed, like many on the Lea Valley line. Serving a pretty poor area there must be a good number of non-paying users too.

I go to MW once a month or so. Several times over the last year, the barriers were "off" and there are no staff, so any paying passengers got a maximum fare.

Once on the way back, there was a rare ticket inspection on the train, except nobody had been able to touch in. Fortunately you can touch in in the passageway at Stratford, which is what I do - so my travel to MW has been "free" several times though I usually hit the daily cap anyway.

 

[The exile]

950 is the first phase, being built now. The end game is 10,000 homes.

And it’s important that the public transport options are already available when people arrive-otherwise people will have come up with other solutions by the time the public transport arrives.

 

[Railwaysceptic]

And it’s important that the public transport options are already available when people arrive-otherwise people will have come up with other solutions by the time the public transport arrives.

. . . . which I believe is the rationale behind running a service to Barking Riverside before the houses have been built.

 

[SynthD]

. . . . which I believe is the rationale behind running a service to Barking Riverside before the houses have been built.

The planning permission for the later two thirds of the homes was unlocked by building the station.

 

[absolutelymilk]

I went to have a look on Sunday and it still looks at least a couple of months away from opening...

 

[bnc2018]

For at least the last month the displays at West Hampstead Thameslink have said things like "this train is currently between Brent Cross West and Cricklewood"

 

[miklcct]

For at least the last month the displays at West Hampstead Thameslink have said things like "this train is currently between Brent Cross West and Cricklewood"

It's there for a few months already.

 

[WesternBiker]

I went to have a look on Sunday and it still looks at least a couple of months away from opening...

It's coming along though... and looks like it'll be a decent station when it is finished.