First London demonstrated ‘strong focus on safety, reliability and accessibility, backed by investment in people and technology’ First Rail London Limited has been named as Transport for London’s preferred operator for London Overground. Customers and staff will benefit from major improvements, says TfL, including extra capacity on the Mildmay and Windrush lines. The Mildmay line runs from Stratford in east London to Richmond in south west London, stopping at Acton Central, Acton South, Gunnersbury and Kew Gardens stations, with a branch that goes from Willesden Junction to Clapham Junction via Shepherd’s Bush. It makes journeys for people in Chiswick travelling to north London much easier than having to travel into central London and out again by tube. London Overground services Gunnersbury Station in Chiswick Contract starts May 2026 First Rail London Limited will take over the contract from the current operator, Arriva Rail London, on Sunday 3 May 2026 and teh contract will run for eight years. TfL cited a ‘strong focus on safety, reliability and accessibility, backed by investment in people and technology’ as the reason they won the contract. “We’re delighted to welcome First Rail London Limited as our preferred new partner and look forward to working together to deliver a range of benefits for everyone who uses the network”, said David Thomas, Head of Concessions for London Overground. Gunnersbury station Improvements promised Under the new concession, First Rail London Limited are expected to introduce a range of service and operational improvements designed to enhance customer experience and support staff, including: Extra peak-time trains on the Mildmay line from May 2026, with shuttle services between Clapham Junction and Shepherd’s Bush during peak hours, providing more capacity and quicker journeys for commuters More frequent trains on the Windrush line from December 2026, with services through the core section of the Windrush line increasing to 18 trains per hour, reducing waiting times and improving flexibility for customers A relentless focus on the safety of customers and staff with upgraded help points and CCTV Strong collaboration with partners such as Network Rail and Alstom, the manufacturer of the London Overground trains, to maintain high performance and customer satisfaction Investment in people and technology to improve reliability, manage disruption, and provide better customer information Targeted upgrades on the Mildmay line infrastructure to boost performance for customers Innovative customer information solutions, including expanding digital screens to display live travel updates for stations and nearby interchange services, such as buses across all operator-managed stations Continued work to improve accessibility in partnership with leading advocacy groups These improvements ‘will help meet growing demand and ensure London Overground continues to provide a safe, reliable, customer-focused service’ say TfL. “London Overground is one of the most popular parts of our transport network, and this new concession puts customers at its heart, helping make the service even better”, said David Thomas. First Rail First Rail a market leader in public transport Graham Sutherland, FirstGroup Chief Executive Officer, said: “The London Overground has greatly improved connectivity in London, with around four million passengers now using the service every week. “We are delighted to have been named as the preferred operator for the service from next May and look forward to welcoming employees who will be joining the Group and to play our part in the success of this vital rail network”. First Rail is a market leader in public transport, operating a fleet of more than 9,000 buses and rail vehicles across the UK. They carried over 2m passengers per day in the UK in 2024/25 and they employ over 30,000 people.