West London Orbital Rail Project

Luke Taylor Excerpts

Wednesday 11th November 2026 Westminster Hall

[Ruth Cadbury]

There is clearly a lot of work to be done, particularly on alternatives to the level crossings. I have one in my constituency, and I know that my hon. Friend has more. However, I am absolutely sure that the local authorities, which definitely want this scheme, and Transport for London—ditto—will work together to find effective solutions that do not disbenefit local areas in ways that can be avoided.

What is important for many of us and our constituents is the direct link to the Elizabeth line. That would allow my constituents to access another route both into central London and out to Heathrow without needing to get a bus up to the Elizabeth line stations.

The real magic of the scheme is that it makes use of existing rail lines. They have capacity, with some parts currently used only by freight, such as the Dudding Hill line and the stretch between South Acton and Kew Bridge. Only four new stations would be needed, and no elaborate new tunnelling is required, so it is more or less a shovel-ready scheme.

London’s existing tube and rail network was mainly developed by private companies in the 19th and 20th centuries as London was growing, but without much strategic thinking. Outer London boroughs do not have great connectivity in many parts, and what there is generally follows the radial rail routes going in and out of central London. There are exceptions that actually demonstrate success, such as the Mildmay line—until a year ago, we knew it as the North London line. That is an orbital route.

[Luke Taylor (Sutton and Cheam) (LD)]

I congratulate the hon. Member on securing this incredibly important debate. Although we welcome the additional connectivity that the West London orbital will bring, TfL has refused to extend the line to provide connections for other underserved areas, such as Whitton and Twickenham. The hon. Member mentioned Wembley stadium; there are opportunities to provide better rail access to Twickenham stadium, but also for the Ivybridge estate, which sits in her constituency. Does she agree that TfL should reconsider its refusal to extend the service to those underserved areas of London?

[Ruth Cadbury]

The hon. Member makes an important point. I have been asked by my constituents living in Whitton whether the line, at its western end, could continue beyond Hounslow, around the Hounslow loop line, to Whitton, Twickenham, and so on.

Particularly as we face the prospect of more events at the Twickenham rugby football union stadium, I am aware that there may be capacity challenges on the routes through Twickenham, but I hope that South Western Railway and TfL can look at what extra services would help connectivity for not only my constituents in Whitton but those on the south side of my constituency in Isleworth.

I will now move on to the wider benefits to the city region. West London is a powerhouse for economic growth in the UK, second only to central London in productivity and GDP per head. We have strong growth sectors: tech, arts, logistics, food manufacturing, the creatives and tourism, with many world-leading brands and businesses. However, the sub-region is held back by poor intra-regional transport links. That is why the west London orbital is so important.

It is projected that, for west and north-west London, the scheme will help to deliver 25,000 new homes and 11,500 new jobs, and will bring more than 3 million jobs within a 45-minute commute. That is so important for our economy here in London. Some 200 businesses have recently confirmed that they back the project, because they know that new public transport services are good for growth; they open up formerly inaccessible industrial areas and cut congestion on our roads.

Providing more public transport services also supports London’s net zero and climate change ambitions, improves our air quality and improves access to jobs, training, healthcare, leisure and cultural opportunities—especially for Wembley, as I have mentioned. Recently, there have been attempts to talk down London, but a strong capital city makes for a strong country, and strong growth in London means strong growth across the UK.

Where is the proof of the value of new services such as this? That proof is in the Elizabeth line. I remember when it was Crossrail, that much-maligned project, but since it opened to passengers in May 2022, the Elizabeth line has been a huge success. Some 90% of users say that it has improved their area, and within a couple of months it will transport its billionth passenger, way ahead of projections. More than that, though, the Elizabeth line has been responsible for thousands of jobs and homes along the line. Abbey Wood in the east has become one of the biggest regeneration areas in London. Build it and they shall come.

The Elizabeth line teaches us not only to go ahead with new transport lines, but to look at innovative ways of funding them. We were so pleased that at the Budget the Chancellor gave the Mayor of London greater power and control over spending income tax in London, along with powers to enable the WLO to be funded through the business rates regime. That, in turn, will benefit from the uplift in land value in and around the new line. That was the model we used to fund the Elizabeth line. We know it works. I want to thank the Chancellor and the Government for engaging with London MPs, the mayor and local authorities on this issue.

I move on to some questions for the Minister. When will the Government publish further details about proposals for fiscal devolution mechanisms, and when could the new funding powers become available? Will the Department for Transport co-ordinate work with TFL, the mayor, Network Rail and local councils on how the fiscal devolution mechanism can work to fund this project? What work is being undertaken with partners to establish a viable funding package following the announcement in the Budget?

The next stage of design on the WLO has been commissioned and will be worked on throughout 2027. Will the WLO, as a test case, enable local partners and the Government to work through what a funding package would look like during 2027? What needs to happen to keep the scheme on track for possible operation by 2035 and are there any Government-controlled obstacles? The WLO uses existing network freight lines, so its progress depends on work with Network Rail, including on level crossings. Will the Minister ask Network Rail to actively work with TfL on the next stage of design? Will he agree to meet TFL, the West London Alliance, local MPs and other partners to discuss how the Government can help bring the scheme forward? Finally, what lessons has the DFT learned from previous infrastructure projects, such as Crossrail, HS2 and the expansion of the London Overground network?

I look forward to hearing the Minister’s response and I hope we can build on the really positive announcements from the Budget. This project is a huge opportunity to increase connectivity, decrease journey times and bring extra investment into west London. I hope the Government can work with TfL, local councils, the West London Alliance and so many other organisations that are working together, committed to making this proposal a reality for my constituents and everybody else in west and north-west London.