West Drayton new station building

[whole diary]

[Surrey 455]

Ian Visits and Crossrail have reported that the new building is now completed and open.

From IanVisits

The latest of the stations to be upgraded ahead of the Elizabeth line opening has been completed, to the west of London at West Drayton.

The station has been given an expanded ticket hall sitting alongside its exiting northern entrance featuring a new glass and steel extension, alongside two new lifts enabling step-free access to the main platforms serving TfL^» (Transport for London - about) Rail/Elizabeth line and GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) services.

An additional lift at the station entrance connecting the low-level subway with the new concourse has also been brought into use. The station lifts to platforms 2-5 will be complemented by a new lift linking the southern entrance to Platform 1 later this year.

The majority of services operate from Platforms 2,3,4 and 5. Platform 1 is only used if the main platforms are unavailable.

The station has undergone a significant transformation in recent years following the completion of the main ticket hall carried out by TfL in 2019. Network Rail has since enhanced the station improvements with an extension to the existing northern ticket hall, vastly increasing space for customers as well as providing an additional entrance.

A glass frontage and a new ticket gateline have replaced the narrow cramped staircases and subway previously used to enter and leave the platforms.

Work around the station to improve the local environment and public realm is being carried out by the Hillingdon council and is expected to complete early next year.

This is the second station that has been at West Drayton, as the first, which opened in June 1838 was on the other side of the main road, to the western side. It moved to its current location in August 1884 when a branch line to Staines opened and they needed more space where the old station had been located for the railway tracks.

Works at Southall and Hayes & Harlington stations are also continuing and are due to complete later this year, all with expanded ticket halls, as well as lifts providing further stations with step-free access.

The Crossrail July 2021 PDF newsletter also covers this completion.

My last visit to the station was in October 2020 and there was still much in the way of unsightly hoardings blocking off parts of the platforms as they had done for the previous 5 or so years.  I hope these have all now been removed and look forward to my next trip to see how the station has changed.

[Ralph Ayres]

Most but not all of the hoardings have gone, the station is far roomier and the subway through to the south side which was previously the only route to the platforms still needs tidying up. Only real negative I could see is a distinct lack of protection from the weather at platform level as the canopies went some time ago and there are just a couple of small bus shelters. IanVisits has muddled the  platform numbers; 3 and 4 are the ones normally used, 1 and 2 are on the fast lines so rarely served and 5 (the old Staines branch) exists but can only be used for trains terminating from and return to London which will only happen if there are problems further west.

Meanwhile the local "yoof" have already mastered the art of pushing through the new gates with station staff powerless to stop them.

[Surrey 455]

I paid my first visit to West Drayton station since the new building opened today.
I was surprised by the number of steps needed to get to the top of the footbridge. I now remember that the ticket office is below track level.
There's also still a lot of areas fenced off both outside the ticket office and on the platforms. The toilets and waiting rooms on platform 4 included.

There also does not seem to be much consistency with the station name signs on the platform with three different designs. Several TfL^» (Transport for London - about) roundels on platforms 3 & 4 and blue oblongs on Platform 1 plus a stray First Great Western sign on platform 4 as well. All photos taken today.

[Ralph Ayres]

Yes, the number of stairs is a pain.  There are lifts of course but they're slow and primarily for those who can't easily use the stairs.  It does seem more convoluted than it need have been starting below track level and going up to come down again, but I assume the more direct option of a much widened or totally new subway was ruled out on cost grounds.  Denham nearby has a similar arrangement with an even longer climb from ground level.

New purple roundels seem to have appeared at various stations along the line in the last week or so.  There may be problems with access, working at height on operational platforms and so on which have meant some signs getting missed.