The new station is the single biggest addition to the local rail network since the North Kent line was built in 1849.
The two-level station will be constructed above the two new Crossrail tracks and those used by North Kent services.
Changing the public transport scenario of the local area, the new station will feature two additional tracks for new Crossrail services.
After completion, the new station will feature a concourse leading directly onto a wide forecourt, which connects the station to the Harrow Manorway dual carriageway, running above the current station.
It will also feature two new ‘island’ platforms for Crossrail and North Kent services, and six lifts to provide step-free access.
The existing station will be demolished to be replaced by a temporary station by summer 2014, situated in the current station car park.
Two tracks for Crossrail services will be installed next to the existing North Kent lines. Number of bridges and the tracks will be raised and lengthened to accommodate the overhead electric wires that will be used by Crossrail trains.
Network Rail will deliver parts of Crossrail that are on the existing network.
The new station will open in 2017.
According to Andrew Wolstenholme, Crossrail Chief Executive, “Crossrail will help to transform the local area, dramatically improving transport links, reducing congestion on existing rail services, providing a boost to the local economy and supporting wider regeneration in southeast London.”
Opening in 2018, the Crossrail project will increase London’s rail-based transport network capacity by 10%.
From 2018, a train will run every five minutes during the peak to allow residents to travel right through the capital without changing trains. The new project will reduce travel time from Abbey Wood to Canary Wharf and Bond Street to around 20 minutes.
Passengers using the station are predicted to almost treble within the next 15 years, with numbers during the morning peak expected to increase to over 10,000 by 2026.
