More frequent services on London's 'forgotten railway'

Trains on London Overground routes in north and west London are to run more frequently, operator Transport for London (TfL) has said.

Services on the North London Line and West London Line will operate up to eight trains per hour.

Under the previous operator Silverlink the service ran an average of two trains per hour.

Transport for London has spent more than £1bn on the lines over three years.

The North London Line runs from Richmond in south west London to Stratford in east London, connecting with the West London Line at Willesden Junction.

Ahead of TfL's takeover of the two lines in 2007, a London Assembly report described the railway as "a neglected and often overlooked component of London's transport network".

London Overground also includes the East London Line from Dalston to New Cross, which was formerly part of the underground network.

Passenger numbers on the East London route have increased by 6% since the link opened in 2010 when they were approximately 70,000 per week.

The link between Dalston Junction and Highbury & Islington connecting the East London route to the North London sector of the London Overground network was opened in February 2011.