Harrow and Wealdstone Station needs to be included in Crossrail.

That was the message from Navin Shah, incumbent London Assembly member for Brent and Harrow and Labour’s candidate for May’s elections, who believes people in the borough deserve to benefit from the project.

Mr Shah said Harrow is a designated “area of opportunity” and should be linked with other regeneration sites on the intended Crossrail route.

He said: “Crossrail is going to Tring, I want to make sure it stops here at Harrow and Wealdstone station. The project links regeneration areas in various communities, including Old Oak Common and Park Royal - one of Europe’s biggest regeneration projects.

“Harrow and Wealdstone is so important in the London plan being an opportunity area for major economic growth, housing and infrastructure.

“To include Harrow and Wealdstone in Crossrail I think is a viable position, it is a matter for the department for transport to deliver this together with the mayor in partnership with local councils.

“I am continuing to campaign for this to happen, it makes sense because it will link Harrow and Wealdstone to jobs and housing.”

Mayor of London Boris Johnson visited Harrow and Wealdstone Station last year to publicly back the campaign to bring Crossrail to Harrow.

However, aside from Crossrail, Mr Shah said other stations across the borough also needed attention.

The assembly member, first elected in 2008 having previously served as leader of Harrow Council and leader of Harrow Labour Group, branded the lack of step free access at Harrow on the Hill and Northwick Park embarrassing.

He said: “There needs to be a focus on the affordability and accessibility of public transport.

“Fares have gone up more than 40 per cent under the current administration - it’s unsustainable.

“Lifts are key at stations and Harrow on the Hill is a prime example that lifts are required as a matter of priority. Harrow on the Hill is a major transport hub and these problems with accessibility are absolutely unacceptable. Northwick Park also needs step free access. It serves a major hospital, which also has an A&E, and since Central Middlesex Hospital’s emergency department closed we have to accept more people will be travelling to this one.”

But Cllr Joel Davidson, the Conservative candidate the represent Brent and Harrow, said Mr Shah had been ineffective in securing Crossrail to stop at Harrow and Wealdstone.

He said: "It's laughable that he can claim the credit for Boris Johnson's idea of bringing Crossrail to Harrow and Wealdstone.

"For eight years he has overseen no new transport infrastructure improvements at all in Harrow, and there is very little reason to suggest he will be able to in the next four years.

"His preferred mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan will starve Transport for London of funds needed for investment, and he has shown no personal drive to put Harrow on the map when it comes to getting prioritisation for transport infrastructure.

"His embarrassing failure to achieve step free access for Harrow on the Hill or Stanmore over eight years is testament to that.

"Only Zac Goldsmith and the Conservatives will deliver the strong economy that will enable funding to be secured, and my personal drive to stand up for the area is far more likely to deliver results than Navin's ineffectiveness.

"The residents of Harrow need a champion who will fight to put them on the map, and I pledge to deliver for the area in a way that Navin has categorically failed to do. The residents of Harrow deserve better than another four years of Navin's ineffective bluster."