More peak trains between Clapham Junction and Shepherd’s Bush as FirstGroup takes over London Overground from Arriva

Gunnersbury station. Picture: mattbuck

FirstGroup has taken over operation of the London Overground after Transport for London awarded the network to its subsidiary, First Rail London Limited (FRLL), on an eight-year contract with an optional two-year extension

FRLL assumed control in the early hours of 3 May, ending Arriva’s nine-and-a-half-year tenure on the network.

Passengers on the Mildmay line, which stops at Chiswick’s Gunnersbury station on the Richmond to Stratford route, will see eight additional return peak-time services between Clapham Junction and Shepherd’s Bush from 18 May: three in the morning and five in the evening.

TfL says this will increase capacity by 20%. The extra services are funded by Olympia Estates, owner of the nearby exhibition venue.

Improvements to the Windrush line are also planned, with TfL saying frequency increases of 33% are in the pipeline. Those changes are not expected until December 2026, when a signalling upgrade will enable more trains through the core section of the route.

FRLL is led by Managing Director David Statham, formerly MD of Southeastern and First Capital Connect. ‘We will be focused on delivering a safe and reliable network for customers, colleagues and communities,’ he said.