WSP, Costain and Fereday Pollard Named for West London Orbital Design

Transport for London has hired WSP, Costain and architect Fereday Pollard to design the next development stage of the proposed 18.5km West London Orbital, a new London Overground route linking Hounslow with Hendon.

That distance is roughly the length of a half-marathon, and the line would run entirely across west and north west London. It's an orbital scheme, which means it connects suburbs to each other rather than funnelling passengers into the centre — the kind of link London's rail network has historically lacked on its western flank.

Who does what on the team?

The three firms bring distinct roles to the job:

• Costain contributes engineering and construction planning expertise, shaping how the railway could physically be delivered.
• Fereday Pollard provides station design experience.
• WSP leads development work, having supported improved orbital connections with the West London Alliance, BusinessLDN and Capital West London since 2019.

Alistair Geddes, rail sector director at Costain, said: "We'll be bringing our best-in-class engineering capabilities and knowledge of incorporating constructability at the earliest possible stage of complex rail projects to build resilience into the scheme as it progresses."

The point of folding construction planning in this early is straightforward. Decisions about how a railway gets built — access points, sequencing, engineering constraints — are cheaper to influence on paper than to fix once contracts are signed.

What will the route actually serve?

The proposed line would improve connections across west and north west London, serving destinations including:

• Brent Cross
• Brentford
• Acton
• Old Oak Common

That last stop matters strategically. Old Oak Common is already set to become one of London's biggest interchange hubs, tying together High Speed 2 and Elizabeth line services. An Overground link there would plug suburban west London directly into that network.

What happens next?

The commission covers the technical groundwork TfL needs before it can commit to anything: timetable planning, demand forecasting, development of the business case, and the funding strategy. In other words, the work that determines whether the 18.5km route is worth building, and who pays for it.

TfL is assessing the proposal ahead of identifying a preferred option, and its first public consultation is now under way. That consultation gives residents and businesses along the corridor a formal say before the route alignment is fixed.

A long-held ambition moves forward

Fereday Pollard is no newcomer to the scheme. The practice has already worked on several participating stations at earlier stages. On this phase, it will seek to develop station environments that reflect individual communities while establishing a consistent identity across the route — a balance between local character and the recognisable Overground brand.

WSP's involvement also runs deep. The firm has spent roughly six years, since 2019, supporting work on improved orbital connections with the West London Alliance, BusinessLDN and Capital West London.

Dan Bishop, managing director for rail at WSP UK & Ireland, said: "This appointment reflects our deep understanding of the scheme and our longstanding involvement in its development. We're proud to help turn a long-held ambition into reality and support infrastructure that could benefit communities across west London for decades to come."

The appointment signals that the West London Orbital has moved from advocacy into formal development. With a consultation live and a delivery team in place, the next milestones to watch are TfL's preferred option and the business case that will determine whether the line gets funded.