On Sunday 10 December, the first station to open in London in over a decade, threw open its doors in Barnet. A big thank you to everyone who visited the station and took part, with the hundreds of people celebrating the official opening by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, and London Assembly Member Anne Clarke, who also represents the Cricklewood Ward. 

Up to 5,000 people visited the station throughout the day, including local residents, commuters, rail enthusiasts and team members from across the organisations that have been involved in the Brent Cross West station programme. 

We want to thank all the businesses and partners who made the day more fun for everyone. On the day, crowds were treated to live music from local organisation JustIn Carnival playing steel pans, and a brass band playing pop classics. Local businesses also provided family arts and crafts workshops including postcard and bookmark making and train decorating, with over 475 children and family members taking part. 

Food and drinks were on offer by our favourite local businesses, including the much-loved Gussy’s Ice Cream serving mulled wine and snacks, artisan coffee from Cricklewood Coffee Roasters, and delicious pizza from the popular Happy Face Pizza. Freshly baked goods donated by Karma Bread Bakehouse also went down a treat with visitors.

We also want to give big thanks to local artist Elisa Cantarelli and over 60 volunteers who took part in creating the brilliant community artwork displayed on the station overbridge. Called ‘Towards Barnet & Towards Brent’, Elisa hosted eight separate workshops, both in Barnet and Brent. Volunteers included students and teachers from Claremont Primary School and Mapledown School, and members from Age UK, and local residents. Together, they re-used bottle tops to create the words and colourful dots, representing the beauty and diversity of the communities in both boroughs. You can see the artwork on display at Brent Cross West. 

And finally, to local resident Laura Halliday who handcrafted some very special limited edition porcelain badges which also inspired the commemorative pin badges given away on the day.

Leader of Barnet Council, Barry Rawlings, said: “The opening of Brent Cross West marks the end of a significant journey for Barnet Council and our partners and is a huge achievement. For existing communities, it provides new ways to get around the area and more sustainable travel options, while also unlocking the opportunity to bring much needed homes and jobs to the area.” 

More about Brent Cross West 

The new station now connects the area with central London in 12 minutes, with up to eight trains an hour at peak times. The opening of the station’s bridge is the first-time pedestrians have been able to cross over the Midland Main Line since it was constructed 150 years ago, making it much easier for residents to get around the area.  

Brent Cross West was funded by central government and is part of the biggest redevelopment and growth programme Barnet Council has ever undertaken. It is essential to unlocking wider development in the area and has been designed as a gateway to a new neighbourhood called Brent Cross Town, a £8bn, 180-acre, net zero development being delivered in partnership between Barnet Council and Related Argent. Brent Cross Town will deliver 6,700 new homes, three million sq-ft of offices creating space for 25,000 employees, along with a new high street.  

Find out everything you need to know about building Brent Cross West in this short video.

 

If you have any questions on the train schedules or to book your tickets visit the Thameslink website here.