Just one year after opening, Brent Cross West railway station in North London has seen over half a million passengers pass through its gates.
The station, served by Thameslink, opened on 10 December 2023, since when it has become popular with commuters and leisure travellers alike.
Nearly 2,000 passengers are using the station each day, with 575,000 journeys having been made since it opened.
To celebrate the station’s birthday, a first-anniversary party led by Barnet Council’s Cricklewood Ward Councillors Anne Clarke and Alan Schneider was held yesterday afternoon, Tuesday, 10th December, on the station’s impressive concourse.
Commuters, community members, and Thameslink station staff led by Marc Asamoah, also joined the party, and marked the occasion with a birthday cake, games, and activities.
The station’s opening was the first mainline station to open in London in over a decade, followed years of hard work by teams led by Barnet Council, one of the first local authorities in England to deliver a rail infrastructure project.
The station is an important part of the largest redevelopment and growth programmes undertaken by Barnet Council and one of the most ambitious in Europe. Its opening will unlock wider development in the area and is a gateway to a new 180-acre, net zero development, Brent Cross Town.
Eight trains an hour serve the station at peak times, providing better connectivity between the Brent Cross area and the rest of London, and provides more sustainable travel options for existing communities in getting around the area.
A local councillor said he sees the station as a welcome addition to the neighbourhood, and the positive impact it has had in the community by making it much easier for people to get around the area helping the borough achieve its net zero target.
“The first anniversary is a monumental occasion for the project teams who made this ambitious station dream become a reality. More than half a million journeys have already been made from the station, with numbers steadily increasing each month, and we hope to see even more as the new Brent Cross Town neighbourhood grows. It’s in a great location, just 12 minutes away from the centre of London and a short hop away from Luton Airport.”
Jenny Saunders, Customer Services Director at Thameslink
Responses
Thameslink should allow some Thameslink trains coming to and from Bedford, Brighton, Gatwick Airport and Horsham to stop at Brent Cross West.
I’m confused Andrew. Thameslink is the operator for Brent Cross West already.
Yes, but it is only the “metro” services from St Albans to Sutton and from Luton to Rainham that call there – the “flyer” services from Bedford to Gatwick and Brighton run through non-stop. (Apart from a couple of exceptions at the very beginning of the day, Horsham trains all run to/from Peterborough so won’t be able to stop there anyway!)
I’m doubtful that Brent Cross is a big enough draw that it’s going to be pulling in punters from Sussex, and I’m also sceptical that it has more passengers than the 6tph stopping there can cope with, so it feels like slowing down the fast trains by adding an extra stop and potentially screwing up the timetable for the whole of the Midland mainline in the process is probably not the best plan.