Wood Lane Level Crossing Could Be Closed

TfL raises possibility in new West London Orbital plans

The at risk crossing on Wood Lane. Picture: Google Streetview

September 25, 2026

A number of level crossings in west London, including the one on Wood Lane in Isleworth, face potential closure.

Transport for London is considering the future of the crossings as part of a consultation on the new route. This is because adding regular passenger trains to railway lines currently used by existing services and freight would substantially increase the number of train movements.

The proposals form part of the planned West London Orbital, a new London Overground service running between Hounslow and Hendon which would provide a new station at Lionel Road. TfL's current plan is for four trains an hour over the whole route, with six an hour operating on its northern section between Old Oak Common Lane and Hendon. Existing freight trains would continue to use the railway alongside the passenger service.

TfL is warning that the additional West London Orbital services could require level crossings on the route to close to road traffic. Its assessment is that retaining crossings with the increased frequency of trains could mean barriers remaining down for significant periods, creating concerns about safety and congestion.

Under current railway operating rules, the level crossing barriers - which are already lowered for around 40% to 50% of the time during the day - would be closed for longer periods and the safety risks of continuing to operate the crossings would increase. TfL believes there could be an increase in risk taking behaviour from drivers and pedestrians frustrated by a long wait to cross the railway. When WLO services are added, the barriers would be lowered for up to 75% of the time for periods as long as 11 minutes at a time. While technology improvements are being explored this could only partly mitigate the closure times.

The level crossing on Wood Lane, Isleworth, is one of three sites at which closure is being considered. TfL says it is looking at any feasible options to maintain pedestrian and cycling access. A footbridge is one potential solution.

TfL would also need to consult on changes to the H28 bus route, which currently uses this level crossing.

The WLO remains a proposal and TfL says feedback from the current consultation will help determine how it develops the scheme. TfL says more generally that it is investigating alternative arrangements at the affected crossings as the design work progresses. The detailed solution has therefore not yet been settled, leaving important questions about the consequences of a road closure and how existing movements across the railway would be accommodated.

While welcoming the project as a whole, Bassam Mahfouz, London Assembly Member for Ealing and Hillingdon, said, “But better transport links must not come at the expense of existing connections. This could have a significant impact on pedestrians, cyclists and drivers, who may face long detours with no convenient alternative routes. The West London Orbital should enhance connectivity and accessibility, not reduce it. TfL must properly address these concerns.” 

The West London Orbital would create a new orbital public transport connection across west and northwest London, allowing many journeys to be made without travelling into central London.

The proposed service would run from Hendon through Brent Cross West, along the Dudding Hill Line and through Old Oak Common Lane. South of there, trains would join tracks used by the existing Mildmay line and call at Acton Central and South Acton. From South Acton, the service would move onto another freight line running through Chiswick and serve a new station at Lionel Road, close to Kew Bridge station. It would subsequently join the Hounslow Loop, serving Brentford, Syon Lane and Isleworth before terminating at Hounslow. TfL says four trains an hour would operate throughout the route between Hendon and Hounslow. Two additional trains an hour would operate between Hendon and Old Oak Common Lane, producing six trains an hour over the northern section.

TfL argues that the West London Orbital would fill a major gap in London's transport network by providing direct links between areas of west and northwest London which currently require more complicated public transport journeys.

For local residents, key issues are therefore likely to include what alternative routes would be available if the roads were severed at the railway, how pedestrians and cyclists would cross the line, and what effect any changes could have on surrounding roads. Wood Lane not the only potential level crossing closure with the ones at Bollo Lane and Churchfield Road in Acton also at risk.

The consultation is specifically intended to identify matters requiring further investigation as the designs develop.

The public consultation on the West London Orbital is open until 18 November 2026.

TfL says responses will help it decide how the proposals should be developed and allow it to understand and respond to issues raised by local communities. It also says there will be further opportunities for consultation and engagement as the project progresses.