West Ealing railway station

West Ealing railway station is on the Great Western Main Line in Ealing, situated in west London. It is 6 miles 46 chains (10.6 km) down the line from London Paddington and is situated between Ealing Broadway to the east and Hanwell to the west. Its three-letter station code is WEA.

West Ealing Elizabeth line National Rail
Station entrance seen in May 2022
West Ealing is located in Greater London
West Ealing
West Ealing
Location of West Ealing in Greater London
LocationWest Ealing
Local authorityLondon Borough of Ealing
Grid referenceTQ166807
Managed byTransport for London[1]
OwnerNetwork Rail
Station codeWEA
DfT categoryE
Number of platforms3
AccessibleYes[2]
Fare zone3
National Rail annual entry and exit
2017–18Increase 1.035 million[3]
– interchange Increase 84,457[3]
2018–19Increase 1.078 million[3]
– interchange Decrease 65,972[3]
2019–20Increase 1.182 million[3]
– interchange Increase 69,361[3]
2020–21Decrease 0.340 million[3]
– interchange Decrease 15,194[3]
2021–22Increase 0.774 million[3]
– interchange Increase 28,755[3]
Railway companies
Original companyGreat Western Railway
Pre-groupingGreat Western Railway
Post-groupingGreat Western Railway
Key dates
4 June 1838Line opened
1 March 1871 (1871-03-01)Station opened as Castle Hill
1875Renamed Castle Hill Ealing Dean
1 March 1883District Railway service introduced
30 September 1885District Railway service ceased
1 July 1899Renamed West Ealing
Other information
External links
WGS8451.5137°N 0.3203°W / 51.5137; -0.3203
 London transport portal

Most trains serving the station are operated by the Elizabeth line running between Abbey Wood and Heathrow Terminal 4. Services on the Greenford branch line to Greenford are operated by Great Western Railway.

History
The original station building visible in the distance, on the far right, in 1962. The milk dock is visible near the centre; platform 1 and its siding are visible on the extreme right.

The station was opened on 1 March 1871 as Castle Hill on the Great Western Railway, which was constructed from London Paddington through Ealing to Maidenhead in 1836–1838.[4][5] The station was renamed Castle Hill Ealing Dean in 1875.[5] From 1 March 1883, the station was served by District Railway services running between Mansion House and Windsor. This service was discontinued as uneconomic after 30 September 1885.[6][7] On 1 July 1899, the station was renamed West Ealing.[5]

The original station building in 1978

Originally the station consisted of four platforms in a staggered layout: platform 1 (along with a siding) and the island comprising platforms 2 and 3 to the west of the Drayton Green Road bridge, and platform 4 on the east side.[8] The station was located next to the London Co-operative Society's main creamery, and so was equipped with a dedicated milk train platform in the mid-1900s.

Platform 1 and its siding were demolished in the late 1960s; platform 4 was demolished and moved west of the bridge by early 1990, partially covering the site of the then long-closed milk depot;[9] platform 2 was partially demolished and fenced off by early 1991 as trains on the main line no longer served the station. The remains of the milk train platform can still be seen today, next to platform 5.[10]

From around 1985 to 1990, access to the original platform 4 was opposite the station building, across Drayton Green Road bridge. The previous station building (which is now closed) was completed in early 1987, following demolition of the previous century-old building a year earlier.

Since October 2008, Oyster "pay as you go" can be used for journeys originating or ending at West Ealing.[11]

In December 2018, Chiltern Railways commenced operating a once per day parliamentary service on weekdays from South Ruislip and to High Wycombe via the Greenford line.[12][13] It replaced a service to London Paddington via the Acton–Northolt line.[14] It became once a week on Wednesdays only after the COVID-19 pandemic. It ran for the last time on 7 December 2022, when it was replaced by a bus service.[15]

Crossrail

West Ealing was first proposed to be part of the Crossrail project in the 1990s.[16] In 2003, initial public consultation proposed that no Crossrail services would stop at the station.[17] Following criticism,[18] it was proposed that services would call at the station 7 days a week, with station improvements including a new ticket hall and step-free access. However, the Greenford branch line would terminate at the station at a new platform, to allow for a greater number of services to run into Paddington.[19] In May 2011, Network Rail announced that it would deliver improvements and alterations to prepare the station for Crossrail services.[20]

In 2015, the station design was approved by Ealing Council, allowing construction to commence.[21] The work would include a new station building designed by Bennetts Associates[22] with access from Manor Road, a new platform for the Greenford branch, platform extensions and step-free access to all platforms.[23][24] Outside the station, public realm improvements funded by Transport for London and Ealing Borough Council would include a raised speed table with granite paving, widened pavements, street trees and cycle parking.[25][26]

In September 2016, Great Western Railway began operating services from Paddington with Class 387 trains, which led to most Greenford services that had previously run to Paddington to terminate at West Ealing, using the newly built platform 5. In June 2017, it was announced that completion of the station was delayed until 2019.[27] In December 2017, MTR Crossrail took over management of the station from Great Western Railway, with TfL Rail services running from May 2018,[28] transferring to the Elizabeth line in May 2022. In 2019, contracts for the new station building was awarded, allowing construction of the new station building.[29]

Following delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[30] the new station building opened on 25 March 2021, providing step free access to all platforms. The existing station building on Drayton Green Road was permanently closed.[31][32]

Accidents and incidents

On 5 August 1989, an express passenger train travelling from Oxford to Paddington collided with a piece of rail left on the track, probably by vandals, and the locomotive, Class 50 50025 Invincible, was derailed along the points near to platform 2 (these points were removed by November of that year). There were no serious injuries.[33][34]

Services

Services at West Ealing are operated by the Elizabeth line and Great Western Railway.

As of the May 2023 timetable, the typical Monday to Friday off-peak service is:[35]

A Sunday service was introduced at the station in May 2019. Prior to this, the station was closed on Sundays.[36] The services to Greenford do not run on Sundays.

The station was also served by a very limited Chiltern Railways service of one train per week to West Ruislip on Wednesdays only.[14] It last ran on 7 December 2022, being replaced by a bus service.[15]

Preceding station Elizabeth line Following station
Hanwell
towards Heathrow Airport Terminal 4 or Terminal 5
 Elizabeth line
 Ealing Broadway
towards Abbey Wood or Shenfield
Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Great Western Railway
Monday-Saturday only
Terminus
Historical services
Preceding station London Underground Following station
Hanwell
towards Windsor
 District line Ealing Broadway
towards Mansion House

Connections

London Buses routes E7 and E11 serve the station.

References
  1. Station facilities for West Ealing
  2. Standard Tube Map (PDF) (Map). Not to scale. Transport for London. November 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  3. "Estimates of station usage". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
  4. MacDermot, E.T. (1927). History of the Great Western Railway, vol. I: 1833-1863. Paddington: Great Western Railway.
  5. Quick, Michael (2020). Railway passenger stations in Great Britain : a chronology (PDF) (Fifth edition, version 5.02 ed.). Oxford: Railway & Canal Historical Society. p. 448. ISBN 978-0-901461-57-5. OCLC 612226077.
  6. Rose, Douglas (December 2007) [1980]. The London Underground: A Diagrammatic History (8th ed.). Harrow Weald: Capital Transport. ISBN 978-1-85414-315-0.
  7. Day, John R.; Reed, John (2008) [1963]. The Story of London's Underground (10th ed.). Harrow: Capital Transport. p. 26. ISBN 978-1-85414-316-7.
  8. Law, John. "glc – west ealing station gwr" on Flickr. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  9. Mitchell, V; Smith, K (2000). Branch Lines of West London. Midhurst: Middleton Press. p. 4. ISBN 978-1-901706-50-5.
  10. "Original West Ealing platform" on Flickr. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  11. "Oyster PAYG on National Rail" (PDF). National Rail Enquiries. 20 October 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 April 2009.
  12. 2V27 1102 South Ruislip to West Ealing Realtime Trains 10 December 2018
  13. 2M27 1147 West Ealing to High Wycombe Realtime Trains 10 December 2018
  14. Marius, Callum (25 May 2021). "London's ghost trains that are hidden on the Tube map and how to see them". MyLondon. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  15. Operators adopt for post Covid railway Modern Railways issue 891 December 2022 page 74
  16. "Crossrail – from its early beginnings". Crossrail. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  17. "Round 1 Consultation Information Panels" (PDF). Crossrail. September 2003. Retrieved 8 September 2021. It is not proposed that Crossrail services would stop at Acton Main Line, West Ealing, Hanwell & Elthorne or Southall stations. They would continue to be served by train services to/from Paddington.
  18. "Public Awareness and Public Consultation Round 1: Results and Crossrail's Response" (PDF). Crossrail. August 2004. Retrieved 8 September 2021. Why are there no stopping services at some stations on the Great Western, particularly at West Ealing, Acton Main Line or Southall?
  19. "Round 2 Consultation Information Panels" (PDF). Crossrail. August 2004. pp. 41–42. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  20. "Crossrail Station Design Contract Awarded". Crossrail. 17 May 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  21. Sadler, Katie (7 August 2015). "Approval given for Crossrail overhaul of West Ealing station". railway-technology.com. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  22. "Crossrail Surface Stations • Projects • Bennetts Associates". Bennetts Associates. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  23. Mann, Nick (7 August 2015). "Green light for new station building at West Ealing". Crossrail. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  24. "West Ealing station". Crossrail. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  25. "Places and Spaces – Urban Realm on the Crossrail route" (PDF). Crossrail. March 2014. pp. 20–21.
  26. McDougall, Hamish (3 June 2014). "Crossrail exhibits design proposals for areas around stations". Crossrail. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  27. "Crossrail stations in west London delayed until 2019". BBC News. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  28. "Heathrow Connect out as TfL Rail comes in". Railway Gazette International. 21 May 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  29. O’Connor, Rob (8 May 2019). "Network Rail announces new contracts for Crossrail project". Infrastructure Intelligence. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  30. Horgan, Rob (22 October 2020). "'Substantial progress' made at late running Crossrail stations". New Civil Engineer. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  31. "Step-free access available at West Ealing station as upgrade works complete". Network Rail. 26 March 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  32. Kouimtsidis, Dimitris (26 March 2021). "GALLERY: West Ealing station upgrade works complete". ealing.nub.news. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  33. "Photo of 50025 at West Ealing, August 1989". Rail Blue. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  34. "Accident at West Ealing in August 1989". Railways Archive. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  35. "Elizabeth line timetable: 21 May to 9 December 2023" (PDF). Transport for London. 21 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  36. "Paddington to Heathrow Airport (TfL Rail)" (PDF). Transport for London. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 May 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
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