[ad_1]
An East London council is looking to spend £1million on the next stages of a major business plan that will look at ways to improve overcrowding and safety concerns at one of the capital’s busiest rail stations. The £1m contribution from Newham Council will go towards a joint proposal from Transport for London (TfL), Network Rail and the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) for Stratford station, which suffers from “severe overcrowding” and poor customer experience.
TfL and Network Rail each plan to invest £1m, while the LLDC plan to spend £1.25m on the initial proposals, which adds up to £4.25m altogether including Newham Council’s contribution. The mayor of Newham, Rokhsana Fiaz said in council documents that it was “crucial” to address current “challenges” at the station.
Ms Fiaz said: “We need to build on the achievements of the last decade and cement Stratford as a globally significant district, vital for the future of London’s economy and the economic growth of the UK. In particular, it is crucial that we address the current challenges of overcrowding, capacity, and general safety concerns around the station for passengers.”
READ MORE: TfL warns buses, Overground, Elizabeth line and DLR will be ‘extremely busy’ as Tube strike planned
According to cabinet papers published by Newham Council ahead of a meeting next week (October 3), £800,000 is expected to be spent on the design and feasibility for the station area, while another £800,000 is expected to be spent on the same area but for outside the station.
Subject to cabinet approval next week, Newham Council has published a timeline for the business case proposals, which are estimated to be completed by March 2025. If the plans go ahead, an updated business case for the station would be submitted to government by March 2025 and would ask for £10m to fund future stages of project development.
A separate report called ‘Stratford Station Regeneration’ has split the station’s current problems into six key areas. These included high levels of platform crowding as well as poor quality and a lack of amenities within the station. The report stated: “Stratford station wasn’t designed to accommodate the volume of passengers now using it and is struggling with unacceptable levels of overcrowding, regular station closures and poor passenger experience.”
According to the same report, Stratford station sees 170 trains pass through it per hour which go onto serve 200 stations in all corners of London as well as in Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Hertfordshire and Berkshire. The report went on to state: “It has become the fifth busiest station on the entire National Rail network, the sixth busiest station on TfL’s network, and is also the busiest bus station in London, and likely the UK.”
Two existing and already-funded projects are expected to be implemented at the station over the next few years. These include a new south-west entrance which will connect the southern ticket hall to Gibbins Road and the Carpenters Estate while a Platform 11 extension will accommodate longer trains on the West Anglia route.
The council, TfL, Network Rail and the LLDC has warned that the public sector needs to act now because any major improvements to the station are expected to take 10 to 15 years to plan, design and build. “TfL expects that Stratford will not be able to function effectively before 2041, so a longer-term solution needs to be operational before this date,” the report stated. “This means the public sector will need to start to plan for these solutions now.”
What improvements have been considered so far?
According to the regeneration report, improvements for the station have been split into three potential options, however all three are in the very early stages and wouldn’t be able to develop unless the business case continues to progress. The first option, known as the ‘minimum option’ would remove “structures” such as shelters on platforms would widen stairwells to free up platform space and so more people could get around easily.
However there would be no improvements to existing circulation routes and the public realm and there’s also no plans in place to tackle major severance barriers caused by rail lines. Option two, known as the ‘medium option’, would include all of the changes in option one as well as the building of a new pedestrian and cycle only bridge on the eastern side of the station as well as a new public square which would exist over Jubilee platforms.
Option three is known as the ‘significant option’ and includes the biggest changes. As well as incorporating both option two and option one, the third and final option aims would see platforms rebuilt and widened and even more public space would be built around Stratford’s town centre.
Newham Council’s cabinet members have been recommended to improve the £1m funding for the next stage of the business case for Stratford station at a meeting next week (October 3).
Love the Tube with a passion? Sign up to MyLondon’s London Underground newsletter for all the latest news, analysis and trivia HERE.
[ad_2]
Source link