Leading multi-disciplinary professional services consultancy WSP provided engineering design services to London's newest mainline station, Brent Cross West, which was unveiled last month.
Officially opened by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan on Sunday 10 December, the new station is the first mainline station constructed in London in over a decade.
The infrastructure project was led by Barnet Council which secured funding from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to enable the station to be delivered.
WSP was appointed by VolkerFitzpatrick (Principal Contractor) in 2020 to provide multidisciplinary design services and construction support in the delivery of Brent Cross West, operating as a Thameslink station for North-West London located on the Midland Main Line.
WSP’s Rail Stations and Building Structures teams worked closely with architects Chapman Taylor to design an iconic and inclusive station that will provide new and improved connectivity across the London Borough of Barnet.
The impressive southeast entrance creates an iconic new gateway to the Brent Cross Town development. Modern methods of construction, the use of sustainable materials and biophilia were integral parts of WSP’s design solution. The structure was constructed utilising a glue-laminated timber (glulam) frame, which supports a glazed roof and hanging planters.
The station is a central catalyst for the local regeneration programme being delivered by joint venture partners Barnet Council and Argent Related, which will deliver up to 7,500 homes and 25,000 new jobs at Brent Cross Town.
Luke Murphy, Deputy Group Director, Rail Engineering Services and Project Manager at WSP, said: “Transformative projects such as Brent Cross West demonstrate the positive influence that modern, integrated infrastructure design has on communities. As a catalyst for local regeneration and wider growth, we’re proud to have played a key role in delivering this new station for London Borough of Barnet.”
Dan Bishop, Head of Discipline for Rail and Project Director at WSP, said: “Major projects like the new station at Brent Cross West are hugely challenging and I’m extremely proud of everyone’s contribution to the successful delivery of the station. The new station is major investment that will support and facilitate the redevelopment and wider plans for the area, and we look forward to seeing the impact of our legacy over the years and decades to come.”
Dan Hagan, Head of Modern Methods of Construction, Property & Buildings at WSP, said: “It was a pleasure to lead the Structures team in delivering the glulam framed entrance structure at London’s first mainline station to open in over a decade. We look forward to seeing the local community enjoying this vibrant space and enjoying the many regenerative benefits transformative infrastructure can bring.”
As the main gateway to a vibrant new town centre, Brent Cross West has the capacity for up to eight peak stopping services per hour and platforms that can accommodate 12-carriage trains, reaching Central London in as little as 12 minutes.
A 32m enclosed public overbridge for pedestrians and cyclists provides a new connection to local communities and the station features step-free access from street level to platform, provided via escalators and lifts. It will also accommodate parking for 68 cycles, as well as new bus routes, supporting the active travel needs of customers and local residents.
Opened in 2023, Brent Cross West station will facilitate over two million passenger journeys in its first year of operation and around five million upon the completion of the Brent Cross Cricklewood regeneration project in 2031.
