Forum Topic

Hanwell Station

Does anyone know when the work to open up the Southern entrance at Hanwell station will begin?

Martyn Brown ● 4299d34 Comments

I remember The Viaduct on Uxbridge Road - many years ago, we used to take the children and other relatives there for lunch. Then it had some good Polish folk on staff there - always had a hearty and good meal at The Viaduct, though if one had a lot of beers and shorts with lunch, it worked out quite expensive. Pleasant dining area and a good car park as I recall.

Gerry Tan ● 4141d

I don't actually know, but I would guess at the Viaduct.I see that it got a mention in despatches in the same breath as The Fox recently hereabouts, so I must shortly correct my error of only having visited it just once in my entire 32+ years in West London.

Tony Colliver ● 4141d

Not to mention West Ealing of course. (Which, as my local station, is far and away the most important stop on the route of course.  :-) )The eastbound Heathrow Connect service is already all but impossible to board at West Ealing in the morning rush.One has to be really quite un-British if one wants to actually stand a chance of boarding and shove like billy-o to get on.  I don't remember the old Slough service which the Heathrow Connect service displaced being like that and the Heathrow Connect trains are considerably longer as well.

Tony Colliver ● 4141d

Tony and Phil,  what's the nearest pub to Hanwell rail station please?

Gerry Tan ● 4141d

Very noisy though due to the wooden floors, open aspect and an absence of drapes or soft furnishings to absorb the echoes.

Tony Colliver ● 4141d

I understand that the frequency of the West Ealing to Greenford would be doubled. also extension of Central line is often mooted by people in Southall. But the Crossrail trains will have a vastly increased capacity and twice that of a central line train.

Peter Chadburn ● 4142d

I had a trawl for online data today and nothing seems to have been published just yet. It will be though probably in the next few days.  Crossrail were not the exponents of this and I don't think they are happy about the disclosure so it might be why there is a hiatus.As for a Tram on the Greenford line. It's not really viable. The line is still a live main line loop and uses freight and stock movements often at night.A tram would require electrification, alternative signalling, platform heights and when joining the main line would not fit the higher speed pathways.So It could only run as far as West Ealing. To be honest that could be done with a standard gauge railcar.Outer West London is now so dense that really the future will be underground.That will create some good possibility for linking and integrating lines and avoiding central London altogether.Far more would have been possible cheaply had 1950s & 60s line closures been mothballed  rather than sold off cheap and built on.It would not be beyond feasibility for the Central line to run underground from Ealing Broadway to Greenford Broadway, Southern Northolt, West Ruislip and route across to Hayes, Southall, and Brentford, Serving some of the worst served and most congest parts of outer west London

Anthony Waller ● 4142d

RE: the tram suggestions for the Greenford loop, don't forget it is a freight line too, trams would therefore need their own light rail lines.Better idea would be to make it part of the ever-expanding "London Overground" network via Park Royal

Leslie Bailey ● 4143d

Thanks Anthony - so were these Crossrail's own projections or some other body?I seem to remember hearing that the Heathrow Connect service would be subsumed into Crossrail.  They will both service the same stations, as far as I am aware.Is there a realistic prospect that the Heathrow Connect service will run after the introduction of Crossrail?

Phil Kay ● 4143d

What a good idea - I like it. The trams could run in the existing train track and many more stops in between - worth considering methinks. Nice one Chris.

Gerry Tan ● 4143d

Yes it came out at a seminar at the National Rail Conference at the ICC Birmingham on the 5th Nov which I was attending.I gather it's in a few Railway trade magazines as well.I don't think it will change normal Paddington services it referred only to Crossrail services.Problem might be made worse if current heathrow connect or First GW services are retimetabled on local services.A lot of questions got raised but not answered as yet.No doubt the furrowed brows of some TfL executives will lead to a some heated discussion.

Anthony Waller ● 4143d

That is a brilliant idea!Were you thinking it would run along the existing tracks / route?The only issue would be what additional stops it would make.  Is there much call to get to West Ealing, say, from points in between the current stops?

Phil Kay ● 4143d

Would it work to turn the West Ealing to Greenford line into a tram with additional stops?At present the trains are not used much during the day and if one is cancelled it is a long wait for the next one.

Chris Lucy ● 4143d

Anthony - that is very interesting news.Can you share a link to the source of these projections please?  It's a long while since I couldn't board a train at Hanwell due to a full carriage and I would hate to think it might start happening again!

Phil Kay ● 4143d

It looks quite nice. Just goes to show what can be done when pushed.The worst thing is that the latest projections indicate that all Crossrail trains will be full to capacity before reaching Hayes so Southal Hanwell and Ealing Broadway will be impossible to get a seat or even a standing space between 6am and 11am.They may well have to seek extra funding to have 14 car trains and the infrastructure extended to accommodate, or bay platforms for short distance trains.

Anthony Waller ● 4143d

The key issue with the station approach entrance will be security. It was blocked off for those reasons many years ago as it is not overlooked. Hopefully decent CCTV that is actually monitored. But could become a muggers paradise late at night if not careful

Peter Chadburn ● 4144d

Went past this afternoon and it's looking nearly finished.I hope the sign posting is better than on the other side for those arriving who've not been to Hanwell Station before.  Station Approach appears even more isolated than Campbell Road.

Phil Kay ● 4144d

A bit off-topic, but even shorter than the Greenford - West Ealing shuttle is the Stourbridge Junction - Stourbridge Town line, in Worcestershire, at approx 3/4 of a mile in length, so our local one is by no means the shortest. The last time anyone proposed closing the branch to passengers - in the 1980s when the turn-back siding at Ealing Broadway was removed - there was quite an uproar and this eventually resulted in the service being extended through to Paddington. Quite how the loss of this through service will affect patronage I do not know, but unless West Ealing is provided with lifts the interchange, especially from the Down (Westbound) platform will be difficult to say the least for mobility impaired passengers.

Russell Maiden ● 4144d

The West Ealing to Greenford shuttle will surely be one of the shortest routes in the country? Given that Greenford has a good service into town via the Central Line I am a little surprised they are persevering with it.

Philip Coe ● 4144d

They will be on the West Ealing Greenford shuttle. The Greenford service will stop in a bay platform to be constructed at West Ealing. But this service will be a more frequent service as well. So people will have to change at West Ealing to get onto Crossrail. Selective Door Opening at Hanwell and a few other smaller stations means that the platform will not be extended (saving probably £200m) so Hanwell users will need to be on the right part of the train.

Peter Chadburn ● 4144d

John, I know Hanwell Station is going to be on the CrossRail line, but will Drayton Green and Castle Bar Park stations also be on CrossRails route please? Thanks - I'm interested in Hanwell and neighbouring rail stations.

Gerry Tan ● 4144d

Not too close to Hanwell Station but the newly renovated Grosvenor is an excellent pub.Good food and an impressive selection of cask and keg beers.

Phil Kay ● 4144d

Indifferent pubs though.  Unless I am missing something other than the Fox and Viaduct?

Philip Coe ● 4144d

I think it's hard to say if Crossrail has driven Hanwell property prices upwards as the trend right across Ealing is up. Crossrail is certainly a good selling point, but probably less so than decent schools, attractive streets and plenty of green space.

John Walker ● 4144d

They are already high Gerry and heading one way.....up.The area around Hanwell station has some impressive Victorian houses with prices to match.

Nigel Brooks ● 4144d

4 trains an hour seems just adequate - be better if there were 6 an hour.Another question John: have house values increased of the properties near and immediately around Hanwell Station with CrossRail coming?  Just curious.

Gerry Tan ● 4145d

"Thanks John, what battles about Hanwell Station are you talking about please?"There was a protest to push for 'step free' access which wasn't originally intended for Hanwell station. Also, the original plan was to continue to run only 2 trains per hour from Hanwell. I'm glad local politicians worked hard to secure 4 trains an hour. I know Hanwell is, in London terms, not too densely populated, but 2 trains an hour is inadequate. Whenever I get the train in the morning the eastbound platform always looks fairly busy.

John Walker ● 4145d

"...all of the battles have been won..."Thanks John, what battles about Hanwell Station are you talking about please?

Gerry Tan ● 4145d

As far as I know all of the battles have been won and Hanwell will be 'step free' and four trains per hour will run during peak times. Excellent result.

John Walker ● 4146d

I presume Hanwell Station will be on the CrossRail route. If it is, when will it be fully funtional? Will it have a "no steps" facility from street to train, or will it be from street to platform?  Will Hanwell Station have a lift to platforms or will the platforms be at street level?  What will be the frequency of trains into the City duruing 'rush hours' please? Thanks.

Gerry Tan ● 4146d

It could certainly do with something given that there are two schools next to that road.

Nigel Brooks ● 4146d

Are they putting in some form of traffic calming? I've seen idiots hitting 50 or 60 along that road.Also, Is there going to be a crossing?

Paul James ● 4146d

Attractive south entrance canopy (in keeping with the design of the platform canopies) is being installed . . . . . . and the bricked-up entrance is now demolished.

Andy Horridge ● 4146d

Work was in progress as I drove past the southern entrance on Thursday 3 September.  The green metal fence (outside the bricked-up entrance) had been removed and various workmen were busy.

Andy Horridge ● 4225d