National treasure Tony Blackburn will be taking on the role of station announcer on the Thameslink network this week to celebrate the opening of Brent Cross West station on Sunday 10 December.

From today Thursday 7 December until Wednesday 13 December, passengers will hear a series of special announcements from the radio legend and Barnet resident – on the Thameslink route between Bedfordshire and South London that will serve Brent Cross West, and then welcoming passengers at the brand-new station itself.

No stranger to lending his signature tones to the airways, Tony Blackburn had this to say: “As a Barnet resident I’m delighted and honoured to be involved in the opening of our fabulous new station which, as far as I’m concerned, is top of the charts! Congratulations to Barnet Council and all their partners for this magnificent project. I’m sure Thameslink passengers will enjoy the style and space here, as well as being just 15 minutes or less from central London. But we’re not just celebrating a great train station – the public footbridge is this area’s first link between Barnet and Brent since the railway first came through 150 years ago.”

Brent Cross West will be the first main line station to open in London for over a decade, connecting passengers from Central London to Brent Cross in as little as 12 minutes, with up to eight Thameslink services running each way.

Brent Cross West station and the associated rail infrastructure has been led by Barnet Council. It is one of the first rail projects in England to be delivered entirely by a local authority.

Brent Cross West will serve as the gateway to Brent Cross Town, a major regeneration programme by Barnet Council and development partner Related Argent that will bring 25,000 jobs and 6,700 new homes to the area, and pledges to be a net zero carbon town by 2030.

Keith Jipps, Govia Thameslink Railway’s Infrastructure Director, says: “There really is no person or voice more iconic and ideal than the legendary Tony Blackburn to welcome passengers to the new Brent Cross West station. This station will make a huge difference to residents in both Barnet and Brent, and we’re absolutely delighted to have Tony on board!”

Councillor Barry Rawlings, Leader of Barnet Council said: “Excitement is building for the opening of London’s newest mainline station, a project we are very proud to have led, and we are delighted to see Tony Blackburn join in the fun of celebrating this huge achievement for Barnet Council and all the partners involved.”

Head to the new Brent Cross West station from Sunday 10 December to receive a Tony Blackburn welcome in signature style, or if you’re taking a Thameslink trip between Luton and Sutton before Sunday, listen out for a kingly change to your regular station announcements. Details of the day can be found here.

For more details on train services and Thameslink’s new timetable, visit the Thameslink website