Acton Main Line railway station

National Rail station in London, England

This article is about the National Rail station on the Great Western Main Line. For other stations in Acton, see Acton station (disambiguation).

Acton Main Line

Station entrance seen in July 2022

Acton Main Line

Location of Acton Main Line in Greater London

Location| Acton
Local authority| London Borough of Ealing
Grid reference| TQ203812
Managed by| Elizabeth line[1]
Owner| Network Rail
Station code(s)| AML
DfT category| E
Number of platforms| 3 (facing 4 tracks)
Accessible| Yes[2]
Fare zone| 3
National Rail annual entry and exit
2019–20|  0.351 million[3]
2020–21|  0.126 million[3]
2021–22|  0.321 million[3]
2022–23|  1.100 million[3]
2023–24|  2.235 million[3]
Railway companies
Original company| Great Western Railway
Pre-grouping| Great Western Railway
Post-grouping| Great Western Railway
Key dates
1 February 1868 (1868-02-01)| Opened as Acton
26 September 1949| Renamed Acton Main Line
Other information
External links|

* Departures
* Facilities

Coordinates| 51°31′02″N 0°16′00″W﻿ / ﻿51.5171°N 0.2668°W﻿ / 51.5171; -0.2668
London transport portal

Acton Main Line is a railway station on the Great Western Main Line, in Acton, west London, England. Located 4 miles 21 chains (6.9 km) down the line from London Paddington, it lies between Paddington and Ealing Broadway stations. It is served and managed by the Elizabeth line, in fare zone 3. The station was rebuilt with step-free access as part of the Crossrail project.

## History

[edit]

The Great Western Main Line opened through Acton in 1838; however, the Great Western Railway (GWR) was initially focused on long distance traffic.[4] The station was opened by the GWR on 1 February 1868.[5] Originally simply named Acton, it was operated by the Western Region of British Railways following nationalisation in 1948. On 26 September 1949, it was renamed Acton Main Line.[5] When sectorisation was introduced, the station was served by Network SouthEast until the privatisation of British Rail in 1994.

Together with the underground stations at West Acton and North Acton, Acton Main Line serves the GWR garden estate. This large area of family housing, bordered on three sides by the stations named and on the fourth side by the A40 road, was developed by GWR in the 1920s to accommodate its staff, particularly drivers from the Old Oak Common depot.[6]

By 1947, the station had four platforms; all were partially covered along their length by wooden canopies, as well as a siding next to platform 1.[7][8] Both platform 1 and its siding were removed in the late 1960s, although remaining platforms 2, 3 and 4 retained their numbering. The Victorian station building was demolished and replaced with a small booking office in 1974,[9][10] and platform canopies were dismantled. Platform 1's permanent way is still intact, and is used as a fast through line for non-stopping trains; all non-local trains on the Great Western Main Line pass through the station. The frequency of trains was reduced in the 1960s to a peak hour only service.[11]

In the 1990s, the Great Western Main Line was electrified through Acton Main Line as part of the Heathrow Express project.[12] A new station building was completed in early 1996,[citation needed] during extensive renovation of the adjacent bridge on Horn Lane. In 2004, a cut in the number of services to two trains per hour by First Great Western Link was criticised by local residents, who called for the station to be served by Crossrail services.[13][14] In 2008, Oyster pay as you go became available for passengers at the station.[15]

### Acton Yard

[edit]

Acton Main Line station with marshalling yard, 1980

The Great Western Railway built a large freight marshalling yard adjacent to the station in the late nineteenth century. It was one of a series of such yards on the perimeter of London used for the transfer of freight between railways. The yard continues in use but on a much reduced scale.[citation needed]

### Crossrail

[edit]

New (2021) and old (1996) station buildings

Acton Main Line 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] In 2004, it was proposed that services would call at the station seven days a week, but no stations improvements were planned. The number of seats available into central London from the station would double, due to longer and more frequent trains.[18] Following criticism,[19] it was announced in 2005 that a new station building and step free access would be built as part of the project.[20]

In May 2011, Network Rail announced that it would deliver improvements and alterations to prepare the station for Crossrail services.[21] In 2016, the station design was completed, and submitted to Ealing Council for approval.[22] The work would include a new station building designed by Bennetts Associates[23] with level access from Horn Lane, platform extensions, new platform canopies and step-free access to all platforms.[24][25] Outside the station, improvements funded by Transport for London and Ealing Borough Council would include a new roundabout with zebra crossings, widened pavements, street trees and covered cycle parking.[26][27]

In mid-2013, a gated barrier was built along the entire length of platforms 2 and 3, protecting passengers from the fast lines. In June 2017, it was announced that completion of the station was delayed until 2019.[28] In December 2017, MTR Crossrail took over management of the station from Great Western Railway, with TfL Rail services running from May 2018 in preparation for the full operation of the Elizabeth line.[29] In 2019, contracts for the new station building were awarded, allowing construction of the new station building to proceed.[30]

Following delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[31] the refurbished station opened on 18 March 2021, providing step free access to all platforms.[32]

## Passenger volume

[edit]

Passenger Volume at Acton Main Line[33] | 2019-20  | 2020-21  | 2021-22  | 2022-23  | 2023-24

|
|
|
|
|

Entries and exits  | 350,930  | 125,954  | 321,076  | 1,099,704  | 2,234,516

## Services

[edit]

An eastbound Elizabeth line service arriving at Acton Main Line

All services at Acton Main Line are operated by the Elizabeth line using Class 345 electric multiple units.

The typical Monday to Friday off-peak service is:[34]

* 4 tph (trains per hour) westbound to Heathrow Terminal 4
* 4 tph eastbound to Abbey Wood

A Sunday service was introduced at the station in May 2019. Prior to this, the station was closed on Sundays.[35]

In December 2023, two more peak services into Abbey Wood from Reading started stopping at this station.

Preceding station  |  Elizabeth line | Following station

|
|

Ealing Broadway

towards Heathrow Terminal 4

|  | Elizabeth line

|  | Paddington

towards Abbey Wood

Historical railways
Ealing Broadway

Line and station open

|   | Great Western Railway

Great Western Main Line

|   | Westbourne Park

Line open, mainline station closed

## Connections

[edit]

London Buses routes 260, 266, 440 and night route N266 serve the station.[36]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Station facilities for Acton Main Line
2. ^ Standard Tube Map (PDF) (Map). Not to scale. Transport for London. February 2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 March 2025. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
3. ^ a b c d e "Estimates of station usage". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
4. ^ Bolton, Diane; Hicks, M A; Croot, Patricia E C (1982). Elrington, C R; Baker, T F T (eds.). A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 7, Acton, Chiswick, Ealing and Brentford, West Twyford, Willesden. Victoria County History. pp. 2–7\. Archived from the original on 3 January 2015.
5. ^ a b Quick, Michael (2020). Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (PDF) (Fifth edition, version 5.02 ed.). Oxford: Railway and Canal Historical Society. p. 43\. ISBN 978-0-901461-57-5. OCLC 612226077.
6. ^ See section "The Railway Expansion" at Acton History.
7. ^ "Wall's Ice Cream and Sausage Factory and environs, Acton, from the west, 1947". Britain from Above. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
8. ^ "Acton Main Line Railway Station, the Wall's Ice Cream and Sausage Factory and environs, Acton, 1947. This image was marked by Aerofilms Ltd for photo editing.". Britain from Above. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
9. ^ Lane, Kevin (July 2017). "Hanimex Hymek" on Flickr. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
10. ^ "Acton Main Line station, 1960 & 2012" on Flickr. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
11. ^ "Oral Answers to Questions — Railways – in the House of Commons - Acton Main Line Station". TheyWorkForYou. 12 June 1968. Archived from the original on 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
12. ^ "Heathrow Express". Railway Technology. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
13. ^ Clements, James (3 November 2004). "Train franchise could hit buffers". Ealing Times. Archived from the original on 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
14. ^ "Acton Mainline train station not safe yet". Acton W3. August 2004. Archived from the original on 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
15. ^ "Smartcard extended to rail route". BBC News. 12 May 2008. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
16. ^ "Crossrail – from its early beginnings". Crossrail. Archived from the original on 21 June 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
17. ^ "Round 1 Consultation Information Panels" (PDF). Crossrail. September 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 September 2021. 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. ^ "Round 2 Consultation Information Panels" (PDF). Crossrail. August 2004. p. 46\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
19. ^ "Public Awareness and Public Consultation Round 1: Results and Crossrail's Response" (PDF). Crossrail. August 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 September 2021. 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?"
20. ^ "Pre-Bill Information Round Panels" (PDF). Crossrail. February 2005. pp. 40–41\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
21. ^ "Crossrail Station Design Contract Awarded". Crossrail. 17 May 2011. Archived from the original on 21 November 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
22. ^ "Modernisation of Acton main line station approved as part of Crossrail project". www.railway-technology.com. 23 May 2016. Archived from the original on 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
23. ^ "Crossrail Surface Stations • Projects • Bennetts Associates". Bennetts Associates. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
24. ^ MacLennan, Peter (18 March 2016). "Major improvement plans for Acton Main Line station unveiled". Crossrail. Archived from the original on 21 March 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
25. ^ "Acton Main Line Station". Crossrail. Archived from the original on 16 August 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
26. ^ "Places and Spaces - Urban Realm on the Crossrail route" (PDF). Crossrail. March 2014. pp. 24–25\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 September 2021.
27. ^ McDougall, Hamish (3 June 2014). "Crossrail exhibits design proposals for areas around stations". Crossrail. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
28. ^ "Crossrail stations in west London delayed until 2019". BBC News. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
29. ^ "Heathrow Connect out as TfL Rail comes in". Railway Gazette International. 21 May 2018. Archived from the original on 2 July 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
30. ^ O’Connor, Rob (8 May 2019). "Network Rail announces new contracts for Crossrail project". Infrastructure Intelligence. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
31. ^ Horgan, Rob (22 October 2020). "'Substantial progress' made at late running Crossrail stations". New Civil Engineer. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
32. ^ "Acton Main Line station latest in the TfL network to be made step-free as upgrade works complete". Network Rail. 18 March 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
33. ^ "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal". dataportal.orr.gov.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
34. ^ "Elizabeth line timetable: 21 May to 9 December 2023" (PDF). Transport for London. 21 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
35. ^ "Paddington to Heathrow Airport (TfL Rail)" (PDF). Transport for London. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 May 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
36. ^ "Acton Main Line Station". TfL. Retrieved 24 June 2022.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Acton Main Line railway station.

* Train times and station information for Acton Main Line railway station from National Rail

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Elizabeth line

Stations|

| Heathrow branch|

* Heathrow Terminal 5
* Heathrow Terminal 4
* Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3
* Hayes & Harlington
* Southall
* Hanwell
* West Ealing
* Ealing Broadway
* Acton Main Line

|

Reading branch|

* Reading
* Twyford
* Maidenhead
* Taplow
* Burnham
* Slough
* Langley
* Iver
* West Drayton
* Hayes & Harlington
* Southall
* Ealing Broadway

Central core|

* Paddington
* Bond Street
* Tottenham Court Road
* Farringdon
* Liverpool Street
* Whitechapel

Abbey Wood branch|

* Canary Wharf
* Custom House
* Woolwich
* Abbey Wood

Shenfield branch|

* Liverpool Street
* Stratford
* Maryland
* Forest Gate
* Manor Park
* Ilford
* Seven Kings
* Goodmayes
* Chadwell Heath
* Romford
* Gidea Park
* Harold Wood
* Brentwood
* Shenfield

Proposed stations|

* Old Oak Common
* Ladbroke Grove
* Silvertown

Rolling stock|

| Current|

Class 345

|

Former|

Class 315 (TfL Rail)

Depots|

* Ilford
* Old Oak Common

Operators|

| Past|

MTR Elizabeth line

|

Current|

GTS Rail Operations

History|

* Crossrail
* TfL Rail

Related routes|

* Crossrail 2
* Great Eastern Main Line
* Great Western Main Line
* Heathrow Express

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