East London Is A Duckers And Divers Paradise
This is the East End Tube Map, which I clipped off the full tube map.
I live just South of the East London Line between Canonbury and Dalston Junction stations.
Today started just after nine, as many others do by braving the nightmare on the buses to take a 141 bus to Moorgate.
- At Moorgate, I had breakfast as I do regularly in the Leon, by Moorgate station.
- After breakfast, it was one stop South on the Northern Line to Bank, to see if the new entrance had opened.
- It was then a trip on the new moving walkway to the Central Line.
- I took the Central Line to Stratford to do my main shopping at the start of the week, in the large Marks and Spencer in Eastfield, by the station entrance.
- It was then on to the North London Line to go back home.
- I didn’t go all the way home on the Overground, but got off the train at Hackney Central and using the new Graham Road entrance, I crossed to get a 38 bus, which would take me home.
- But two 38s passed as I tried to cross the road and in the end I took a 277 bus to Dalston Junction station.
- From the Junction, I got a 56 bus home.
I got home about eleven.
At least now, I’ve got food until Thursday!
The New Entrance At Hackney Central Station – 2nd July 2022
The new entrance at Hackney Central station opened yesterday.
Note.
- The cafe must be fairly good, as it has two flavours of gluten-free brownies.
- I may have a touch of arthritis these days, but stairs like these are fine for me, as there are two right-handed paths.
- There is a second set of stairs down from the footbridge to speed passengers on their way to Hackney Downs station.
- There is a light-controlled crossing over Graham Road.
- Bus stops in both directions are only about twenty metres from the crossing.
- The station buildings appear to have green roofs.
- The is plenty of bike storage, but no car parking.
- There is no lift, although the design should allow one to be added later, if it is thought one is needed.
I’ve seen bigger budgets produce worse designed station entrances than this one.
My Use Of The Graham Road Entrance At Hackney Central Station
I suspect, I will use the new entrance mainly in one of two ways.
Going West On The North London Line
If I want to go west on the North London Line, the obvious one is to get a bus to Highbury & Islington station from the closest stop to my house and get the train from there.
But that route has got more difficult in recent years.
- Our South London Mayor in his wisdom cut the 277 bus back to Dalston Junction station.
- So there is only the 30 bus left and the route uses badly-designed Egyptian-built buses. I’ve nothing against Egyptians, but these buses don’t have the flat floor, that people expect from a bus these days.
- Since the roundabout was rebuilt, it seems to be a longer and more difficult walk for pedestrians.
So I’d prefer to take another route.
- Canonbury station is probably the closest station, but it is an uphill walk from my house.
- Dalston Kingsland station is a possibility, but the steps to the platform aren’t the safest.
- Dalston Junction station is another possibility, as it is step-free, but it means more changes of mode and train.
Going via the new Graham Road entrance has advantages.
- From my house, there are frequent 38 buses to the new entrance.
- The 38 bus stop at Hackney Central is only a few metres from the station entrance.
- There is a coffee stall in the station entrance.
- The steps in the entrance are easy for me.
I will try out this route the next time, that I go to the West on the North London Line.
Coming Home From Stratford With Shopping
If I need a big Marks & Spencer or a John Lewis, it is convenient to go to Eastfield at Stratford and come home on the North London Line.
I will usually use the The Canonbury Cross-Over to double-back and get a bus home from Dalston Junction station.
It is an easy route, but sometimes the trains mean a wait of nearly ten minutes at Canonbury station.
The new entrance at Hackney Central gives an alternative route.
- You would get in the back of the train at Stratford.
- Alight at Hackney Central.
- Exit the station through the new entrance.
- Cross Graham Road on the light-controlled crossing.
- Walk about twenty metres to the 38 bus stop.
- Wait for a frequent 38 bus.
Today, I waited just a minute.
Conclusion
The entrance was first mentioned in an article on Ian Visits in October 2019 and I wrote about it in Will Hackney Central Station Get A Second Entrance?.
In May 2021, I wrote £3m Hackney Overground Station Upgrade To Begin In June.
The entrance seems to have gone from a concept to reality in under three years and once the starting pistol was fired, it was built in under a year.
How many parts of the UK rail network could be improved, by small projects like this?
Levelling Up – The Marks & Spencer Way
When I first moved to Dalston, there were three convenient Marks and Spencer stores within a few bus stops.
- Angel, which is a basically a food store with a floor of clothes above, where my grandmother used to shop before the First World and C and I used to shop in the 1970s, when we lived in the Barbican.
- Moorgate, which is a small department store, with a medium-sized food department in the basement, which I use regularly.
- Hackney, which was a very small department store with a poor food department, was convenient as on some of my journeys, I would get a bus home from outside the store.
Over the last ten years, more Marks and Spencer stores have sprung up, Archway, Camden Town, Dalston, Eastfield, Hampstead, Liverpool Street, Old Street and West Hampstead, which I use occasionally, as they are on routes home.
This morning I went to the eye hospital in Colindale and coming home, I got a 32 bus to Brondesbury for the Overground.
As I needed some food, I had various choices of journey home.
- Get off at West Hampstead and do my shopping there, and then get back on the train.
- Get off at Hampstead Heath and do my shopping there, with a light lunch in le Pain Quotidien.
- Get off at Dalston Kingsland and do my shopping there, with a bus home.
- Get off at Hackney Central and do my shopping there, with a bus home.
Unusually, I chose the last option and got a big surprise.
I had been worried that Marks and Spencer in Hackney would close, but now it has been turned into the most upmarket Marks and Spencer food store, I’ve ever seen.
- It’s more Knightsbridge. than Hackney
- It’s large and spacious.
- There are large ranges of tea and coffee, that you normally don’t see in the store.
- The decor is localised to the store.
- It is only about a hundred metres from Hackney Central station and fifty metres on the flat from my bus home.
- It’s even just called Marks & Spencer Food
Now that’s what I call levelling up!
Stratford Station Secures Funding For Plans Set To Relieve Overcrowding
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Technology Magazine.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Reduced congestion at London’s Stratford station is on the table as Network Rail secure a £2m boost from the Department for Transport.
Stratford Station has seen a surge in demand – despite the impact of the pandemic – ever since the 2012 Olympics, and the forecast for this is set to grow even more as the area continues to regenerate.
Something needs to be done as it is he busiest non-terminal station in London, that before the pandemic was handling over 42 million passengers per year.
Nothing specific is said, except that more space will be created for passengers with better wayfinding.
Although the article says that this could be a five year project.
The Current Station
This is an extract from It’s Time To Detopsify Stratford Station, which was a previous look at Stratford station in May this year.
This map from cartometro.com shows the Topsy-like nature of the platforms at Stratford.
Note.
- The Docklands Light Railway is shown in turquoise.
- The DLR platforms in the North-West corner of the map are those of Stratford International station.
- High Speed One and the four platforms of Stratford International station are shown in black.
- The North London Line of the London Overground is shown in orange.
- The North London Line terminates in Platforms 1 and 2, which have a level link to Platform 12.
- Platform 12 is on the anti-clockwise platform for the High Meads Loop and has step-free access to the subway system underneath the station.
- Platform 11 is on the clockwise platform for the High Meads Loop and has level access to Platform 10a and full step-free access,
- Platform 10a is used by some services to East Anglia.
- Crossrail is shown in blue.
- The Central Line is shown in red.
- The Jubilee Line is shown in silver.
It is not the best passenger-friendly station layout.
What Would I Do?
These are what I would like to see.
Better Information on the Overground Platforms
If I am returning from Stratford after doing some shopping at Eastfield, I will often climb up the stairs or rise in the lift to the two Overground platforms 1 and 2. I will often find two trains there, but there is no indication to say which will be the first train to leave.
Use Of The High Meads Loop
The High Meads Loop is a double-track loop at the Southern end of the branch of the West Anglia Main Line that leads to Stratford.
- It is mainly underneath the Eastfield shopping centre.
- It serves Platforms 11 and 12 in Stratford station.
As the single-track loop of the Wirral Line under Liverpool can handle up to sixteen trains per hour (tph), I believe that the High Meads Loop could be used as the Southern terminus for an improved service to Cambridge, Stansted Airport and up the Lea Valley to Cheshunt, Chingford, Harlow and Hertford East.
The signage from when Stratford had a Stansted Express service is still there and shown in this picture.
This is almost symptomatic of the chaotic nature of the station.
I get the impression from this sign, that one of the original design criteria of the High Meads Loop and the Overground platforms at Stratford for the North London Line was to create an easy route for the whole of North London to Stansted Airport and Cambridge.
Or is it just a symptom of Too Many Cooks Syndrome, where everybody had their own ideas and no-one took charge and designed Stratford station properly?
Let’s hope Network Rail are fully in charge, as this is not a project to interest Sadiq Khan, as it’s not in South London and that area of London won’t benefit.
A Better Connection Between Stratford Station And Southeastern HighSpeed Services
I have just looked up how it is recommended you might travel between Richmond and Faversham.
The timetable recommends a double-change at Clapham Junction and Victoria.
I would take the Overground to Stratford and then change to the Southeastern HighSpeed services.
- This route is a single change.
- The change is step-free.
- The change involves passing the best station stop in the UK; Marks and Spencer’s large store in the Eastfield Shopping Centre, where takeaway food is well placed for passing trade.
But the change is badly signposted and could be a long walk with a heavy case.
There is probably a need for some form of people mover that connects all the platforms at Stratford station to the platforms at Stansted International station.
Conclusion
Sort it!
It’s Time To Detopsify Stratford Station
Stratford Station has grown like Topsy for too long and has several problems and possible future expansions.
Not least of these include.
- The final arrival of Crossrail.
- A direct connection to Chingford.
- A Stansted Express service.
- Massive housing developments in the area.
- More hotels
- New cultural developments like the branch of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
- A new campus for University College London.
This article on IanVisits is entitled Stratford Station Set For Massive Transformation.
This is his opening paragraph.
Stratford station could be radically redeveloped under plans being worked on by the rail companies and local council.
That is rather understated!
The station will become several times busier and needs a complete rethink, many more services and deTopsification.
These are my thoughts.
The Development Of The High Meads Loop
The High Meads Loop exists and is a double-track loop that can turn trains arriving at Stratford station via Lea Bridge station.
- It is underneath the Eastfield Shopping Centre – Westfield is in the West of London.
- Each track of the loop has its own long platform in the station. – Platform 11 is for clockwise trains and Platform 12 is for anti-clockwise.
- It has been used in the past for a Stansted Express service.
The Wirral Line in Liverpool like the High Meads Loop is now a modern loop for turning trains.
- The Wirral Loop is only single-track.
- It gives connections for over thirty stations on the Wirral and in Cheshire and North Wales to Liverpool City Centre.
- It is run by fifty-year-old Class 507 and Class 508 trains.
- The loop has now been improved and can handle upwards of the fourteen trains per hour (tph) it currently does.
Merseyrail will soon be introducing new Class 777 trains on the Wirral Line in the near future and will be increasing services and the number of destinations.
British Rail’s vision for Liverpool, that was cruelly cut-short by Liverpool MP; Harold Wilson, is finally coming to fruition.
Newcastle also got its British Rail tunnel which is now being used by the Metro, but what would have happened in Manchester if British Rail had been allowed to build the Picc-Vic Tunnel?
I have a strong belief, that a Lea Valley Metro can be developed on the West Anglia Main Line.
- It would have two Southern terminals – Liverpool Street station and the High Meads Loop at Stratford.
- When it opens, Crossrail will mean that Liverpool Street and Stratford stations will be seven or eight minutes apart with a frequency of at least 12 tph.
- Northern terminals would include Broxbourne, Cheshunt, Chingford, Enfield Town and Hertford East.
- Crossrail 2 was planned to have a frequency of 10 and 15 tph between Tottenham Hale and Broxbourne stations.
I believe that if services in East London are thoroughly reorganised, that all the benefits of Crossrail 2 can be brought to East London by the use of the High Meads Loop and the upgrading of existing lines.
Stansted Express Services
Go to Stratford station and there is an out-of-date sign at the end of Platform 1 and 2, where the Overground trains terminate.
It directs passengers to Platform 12 for Stansted Airport.
The picture was taken in 2017, but there is still a walk-through to Platform 12, that I use regularly, if I’m changing between London Overground and Greater Anglia or TfL Rail services to destinations on both the West Anglia or Great Eastern Main Lines.
I believe that there is still a need for a Stansted Express services from Stratford, as for some people, including myself, it is easier to get to Stratford, than Liverpool Street.
From some places the connections to and from Stansted are not very good. Try going between London Bridge, Canterbury, Euston, Victoria or Waterloo and Stansted with a few mobility issues like a heavy suitcase and/or a baby, without a degree in Ducking-and-Diving!
An additional Stansted Express service from Stratford would make things a lot easier to get to the airport for many travellers, because of Stratford’s connections to the Central, Jubilee and North London Lines and SouthEastern’s Highspeed services.
Better Connection Between High Speed One And The High Meads Loop For Passengers
Some passenger connections are missing at Stratford.
This is indicated in the IanVisits article.
This map from cartometro.com shows the Topsy-like nature of the platforms at Stratford.
Note.
- The Docklands Light Railway is shown in turquoise.
- The DLR platforms in the North-West corner of the map are those of Stratford International station.
- High Speed One and the four platforms of Stratford International station are shown in black.
- The North London Line of the London Overground is shown in orange.
- The North London Line terminates in Platforms 1 and 2, which have a level link to Platform 12.
- Platform 12 is on the anti-clockwise platform for the High Meads Loop and has step-free access to the subway system underneath the station.
- Platform 11 is on the clockwise platform for the High Meads Loop and has level access to Platform 10a and full step-free access,
- Platform 10a is used by some services to East Anglia.
- Crossrail is shown in blue.
- The Central Line is shown in red.
- The Jubilee Line is shown in silver.
It is not the best passenger-friendly station layout.
- Inevitability, you often find yourself trudging a long way at Stratford station.
- Changing to or from any high speed services is supremely difficult.
- Often you have to walk through the busy Eastfield Shopping Centre.
Particularly annoying for me is coming back from Kent on High Speed One and needing to take the North London Line, as I do several times a year.
As it involves a long walk through the Shopping Centre, I now take the easy way out and carry on to St. Pancras and get a taxi home.
As Stratford International is one of the draughtiest stations in England, the station is a real Design Crime and it needs a serious makeover.
Conclusion
Sort it!
West Anglia Route Improvement – Modern Railways March 2017
The March 2017 Edition of Modern Railways sheds some more light on what is happening at the between Angel Road and Tottenham Hale stations.
They state the following about the current works.
- The Stratford area and its station is growing in importance.
- The line is slated for improvement under the Stratford-Tottenham-Angel Road (STAR) project.
- STAR will involve laying a third track between Stratford and Angel Road, alongside the West Anglia Main Line and the Temple Mills Branch to Stratford.
- STAR will be completed at the end of 2018.
- STAR will run at a frequency of four trans per hour (tph)
A picture in the magazine taken from a footbridge shows very much what my pictures show.
They also state this about Crossrail 2
- Crossrail 2 would be overlaid on the existing network serving both Liverpool Street and Stratford stations.
- Coppermill junction could be converted to a grade-separated rather than a flat junction.
- Crossrail 2 would emerge from the tunnel South of Tottenham Hale.
- The project would quadruple the West Anglia Main Line from the tunnel portal to Broxbourne.
- STAR would be built to facilitate this.
- A turnback platform is being considered at Tottenham Hale
- A turnback platform is being considered at Enfield Lock
- Turnback platforms and stabling sidings are considered at Broxbourne.
So how does all this fit with my observations?
STAR
I very much feel that STAR could be only a stop-gap development until Crossrail 2 arrives. In What Is STAR?, I give a few basic details.
After all will it still be needed to run just four tph between Angel Road and Stratford, when there could be upwards of 10-15 tph on Crossrail 2 and other services between Tottenham Hale and Stratford?
Something is needed immediately to serve Angel Road station and the massive Meridian Water development, which will result in the renaming of Angel Road station to Meridian Water,
The timings from Tottenham Hale are currently as follows.
- Stratford – 14 minutes
- Lea Bridge – 4 minutes
- Northumberland Park – 2 ,minutes
- |Angel Road – 4 minutes
Modern Railways states STAR will use a third track between Stratford and Angel Road. So if it was designed to be straight and flat and if it is running new Aventra trains from either London Overground or Greater Anglia with a fast stop capability, I wonder if timings could be achieved, which would enable just two trains to run the required service.
But I also suspect that STAR would provide a valuable service to link Meridian Water to Tottenham Hale and Stratford stations, even after Crossrail 2 opens.
STAR At Tottenham Hale
This picture shows the available space at Tottenham Hale station, which doesn’t appear to be enough for two lines.
Note the newly-installed cable ducts.
Modern Railways states STAR will use a third track between Stratford and Angel Road. A single track would certainly fit through here.
Suppose the current platform 1 on the left, was made an island platform for the existing London-bound line and the track for STAR going along the route that now almost looks like freshly-mowed grass.
- The new platform could be Platform 0
- STAR would be worked in a bi-directional manner, always calling at Platform 0
- When Tottenham Hale station is re-built in the near future, Platform 0 will have full step-free access to the Victoria Line, courtesy of Platform 1.
- It would have cross-platform access to Liverpool Street services on Platform 1.
- Moving some Stansted or Cambridge service from Liverpool Street to Stratford might be operationally worthwhile after Crossrail opens.
Platform usage at Tottenham Hale would be as follows.
- 0 – All STAR services.
- 1 – Services to Liverpool Street
- 2 – Northbound services except STAR.
That would be very logical for passengers and not the most complicated of construction projects.
STAR At Angel Road
If the third track continued to Angel Road station as seems to be proposed, then a single bay platform could handle the four tph.
Space would have to be left for the two future new lines that will be installed, when the full West Anglia four-tracking takes place.
The STAR track could be close to the current West Anglia Up Line, as it will be at Tottenham Hale with the two new lines on the Eastern side of the station.
If the STAR track was on the outside, there would have to be a flat junction, where the STAR track crossed the two extra lines.
Until Crossrail 2 is built, I also suspect that STAR could be only service calling at Angel Road.
So there will be a lot of flexibility on how the station is built.
STAR At Northumberland Park
This picture shows the current works at Northumberland Park station.
This picture was taken from the footbridge in the station.
Could the current platform 1 at the station be converted into an island platform between the current West Anglia Up Line and a STAR track between the West Anglia Main Line and the Northumberland Park Depot for the Victoria Line?
I suspect the answer is in the affirmative.
There might even be space for more lines through the area, when the West Anglia Main Line is four-tracked.
STAR At Lea Bridge Station
Lea Bridge station is a recently-opened station on the Temple Mills Branch between Tottenham Hale and Stratford and I doubt there is sufficient space for a separate track for STAR with its own platform through the station.
This picture is from A Look At Lea Bridge Station, which shows the station in detail.
The STAR track would have to go through here and would probably mean substantial rebuilding of a brand-new station.
So all services to Stratford will call at Platform 1 and all services from Stratford will call at Platform 2.
This will mean a junction North of Lea Bridge station, so that services can get themselves to the right lines for Tottenham Hale or in future the Chingford Branch along a rebuilt Hall Farm Curve.
- Southbound STAR, Chingford Branch Line and other services to Stratford will merge before Lea Bridge station to pass through Platform 1.
- Northbound STAR and Chingford Branch Line services will pass through Platform 2 and then cross over the Temple Mills Branch Up Line to the bi-directional STAR track alongside the main lines to Tottenham Hale.
- Northbound Chingford Branch Line services will take the Hall Farm Curve to get to St. James station and the Chingford Branch Line.
- Other Northbound services from Stratford will stay on the Temple Mills Branch Down Line and go straight to Platform 2 at Tottenham Hale.
Traffic crossing from the Temple Mills Branch Down Line over the Up Line to get to the STAR track would include.
- STAR services of four tph.
- Services from Stratford to Walthamstow and Chingford, which could be between two and four tph.
Due to restrictions on capacity caused by the level crossing at Highams Park station on the Chingford Branch Line, I suspect this could initially be just 2 tph, until a solution for the restriction is found.
STAR at Stratford
One possible problem is the capacity at Stratford station, which only has two possible terminal platforms 11 and 12.
Platform 11 is used for the current two tph that go up and down the West Anglia Main Line, but Platform 12 is currently just giving out messages saying “I’m Free!”
Platforms like these can generally handle four tph, as they do at stations like Highbury and Islington or Dalston Junction. But is a capacity of eight tph enough if some Stansted and Cambridge services are added to the mix.
But there may be other possibilities!
In High Meads Loop, I look at how an existing loop around Eastfield and Stratford International station could be used to turn trains.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr , shows the High Meads Loop.
Use of the High Meads Loop would enable the following.
- Probably upwards of 10-12 tph to be turned back at Stratford.
- Trains would call in either Platform 11 or 12 at Stratford station.
- Trains could call at Stratford International station.
Currently Platforms 11 and 12 can only handle eight-car trains, but they could be lengthened for the the new 12-car Stadler Flirts, that will work the London to Cambridge and Stansted services in a couple of years.
Cambridge, Stansted and Lea Valley services would have simple changes to the following services at Stratford.
- Central Line
- Crossrail for City and East London, Essex, Heathrow, Paddington and the West End.
- DLR for Docklands and South East London.
- European services, if they were to call at Stratford International. As they should!
- Greater Anglia for Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich, Norwich and all the branches.
- Jubilee Line for Canary Wharf, London Bridge, Waterloo and Westminster.
- North London Line for Clapham Junction, Old Oak Common and West and South West London.
- Southeastern Highspeed to Ebbsfleet, Kent and East Sussex.
I suspect that London Overground and/or Greater Anglia have a cunning plan to collect all of these services and platforms together in an optimal manner for the benefit of all stakeholders.
But it’s really just the East End of London asserting its true place in London’s hierarchy.
The Stratford/High Meads Advantage
Using the High Meads Loop at Stratford to turn trains from the West Anglia Main Line could be a big advantage in the next few years.
All of these construction projects need to be carried out.
- Rebuilding of Tottenham Hale station.
- Updating of Coppermill Junction.
- Four-tracking of the West Anglia Main Line.
- Lengthening of platforms at Liverpool Street station.
- Connection of Crossrail 2 to the West Anglia Main Line.
If a connection between Tottenham Hale and Stratford via Lea Bridge can be maintained at all times during this massive amount of construction, which given the space available is very possible, then Stratford could be an alternative destination for diverted West Anglia Main Line and local services, that are unable to connect to Liverpool Street.
STAR And Electrification
This picture shows where the single STAR track will pass under the Ferry Lane Bridge at Tottenham Hale station
When I first looked at this bridge and saw the height of the overhead electrification on the existing West Anglia Main Line under the far span, I immediately questioned if they could fit the electrification under either of the blue steel bridges, where STAR might pass, in a manner that would meet all the Health and Safety regulations.
The only way to electrify and be certain of the safety would be to replace the bridge with a modern structure. But this would take a couple of years and can it be built without closing an important route to and from London for a couple of months?
So I come to the conclusion that the STAR line will not be electrified and the line will use electric trains with onboard energy storage or IPEMUs.
- I have been told by the manufacturer that all Aventra trains are wired for onboard energy storage.
- Both possible operators of the star service; Greater Anglia and London Overground are obtaining sizeable fleets of suitable Aventra trains,
- Greater Anglia’s Aventras are five-car trains.
- London Overground’s Class 710 trains are four-car trains.
- Delivery of London Overground’s trains is scheduled to start in 2018, so they are a just-in-time delivery.
- The route between Lea Bridge and Stratford is fully electrified, so trains could charge the batteries South of Lea Bridge station.
- Diesel trains would be an alternative, but probably not appropriate in the Lea Valley.
For added safety, the well-proven method of slab track will be used under the bridge to ensure the train stays stable.
The outcome will be the ecologically sustainable development of Meridian Water gets appropriate electric trains to shuttle residents to Crossrail and the Eastfield Shopping Centre at Stratford.
Crossrail 2
I shall make a few comments about what the article says about Crossrail 2.
Crossrail 2 Would Be Overlaid On The Existing Network
How else is there to do it without building a whole new line on a different route up the Lea Valley?
Incidentally, plans used to exist for extending the Chingford Branch Line to Stansted Airport through Epping Forest. I doubt that will ever happen, especially as Queen Victoria is supposed to have said no!
Coppermill Junction Could Be Converted To A Grade-Separated Rather Than A Flat Junction
These pictures were taken from a train, that was going from Lea Bridge to Tottenham Hale, through the area of Coppermill Junction.
At present the following happens at Coppermill Junction.
- Trains between Liverpool Street and Chingford pass straight over the junction.
- Trains from Liverpool Street to Tottenham Hale curve left from the Chingford Branch Line to join the West Anglia Main Line.
- Trains from Tottenham Hale to Liverpool Street cross in a flat junction over the West Anglia Down Line and the Chingford Branch Down Line to get on track for Liverpool Street.
When the West Anglia Main Line has been four-tracked and the STAR track has been inserted alongside the current tracks, the fast tracks will probably be the two most Easterly tracks through Tottenham Hale.
This will mean that the West Anglia Up Fast will have to cross the following lines to get on the Chingford Up Line.
- The bi-directional STAR line.
- The double-track of the Temple Mills Branch to Stratford.
- The Chingford Down Line.
In the opposite direction, the following tracks will have to be crossed.
- The double-track of the Temple Mills Branch to Stratford.
- The bi-directional STAR line.
These movements will need a very complicated Coppermill Junction.
As four-tracking is all about faster services between Liverpool Street and Cambridge and Stansted, it would be detrimental to not have an efficient Coppermill Junction, with some grade separation.
I think we probably need flyovers or dive-unders on the following routes.
- West Anglia Up Fast to Chingford Branch Up.
- Chingford Branch Down to West Anglia Down Fast.
Routes would probably need to be provided so that the trains could go between the West Anglia Slow Lines and the Chingford Branch towards London.
In addition, I’ve heard rumours that trains will be able to go both ways between Tottenham Hale and Walthamstow/Chingford.
There is certainly lots of space to build a complicated junction, as the pictures show.
Crossrail 2 Would Emerge From The Tunnel South of Tottenham Hale
I think that has been known for some time and the possible site is full of London’s demolition rubble.
However, the junction with the West Anglia Slow Lines would probably need to be grade separated and integrated with the spaghetti that Coppermill Junction will probably have become.
The Project Would Quadruple The West Anglia Main Line From The Tunnel Portal To Broxbourne
If fast services to Cambridge and Stansted are to be retained, surely this must be done.
Just imagine 10-15 Crossrail 2 trains and ten fast trains, every hour sharing a pair of lines up the Lea Valley.
In my view the fast lines would be the two most Easterly lines and they probably wouldn’t stop very often, if at all between Liverpool Street or Stratford and Broxbourne.
,
STAR Would Be Built To Facilitate Four-Tracking
Everything I’ve seen leads me to think, that the single STAR track will be next to the West Anglia and Temple Mills Branch Up Line, with the two new lines outside to the East.
I also feel that these new lines will be the fast ones and possibly will have few if any platforms between Tottenham Hale and Broxbourne.
STAR could be an independent line, well out of the way operationally of other lines.
- STAR will be bi-directional North of Lea Bridge station.
- STAR could share island platforms with the West Anglia Up Line at Angel Road, Northumberland Park and Tottenham Hale stations.
- There could be no points on the route once it separates North of Lea Bridge station.
- The fast lines between Liverpool Street and Tottenham Hale could cross the Temple Mills Branch and the STAR line at Coppermill Junction using a flyover.
The last point probably explains the grade-separated junction, I mentioned earlier.
I said earlier that it could be difficult to put extra tracks through Tottenham Hale station. These pictures show the area, where the STAR line and the two new lines will go and also what lies on the other side in the new housing development of Hale Village.
There is more space than I thought earlier. As some of the concrete decking will probably be demolished or modified to build the new entrance and pedestrian bridge for the station, I suspect that the space between the current station and Hale Village can be made wide enough for at least the new lines needed to four-track the West Anglia Main Line.
But I suspect that a way will be found to get the STAR line and the two other lines in what space can be created.
This would mean.
- The STAR service can continue, as long as it’s needed.
- There certainly wouldn’t be space for platforms on the two other lines between the current station and Hale Village.
- So as the slow lines will need platforms, the two new lines will be the fast lines.
North from Tottenham Hale, there is slightly more space, as my picture at Northumberland Park station showed.
As the STAR line is currently planned to terminate at Angel Road station, North from there, the requirement is only the easier one of two tracks and not three.
But if the requirement for three tracks should prove too difficult, as the four-tracking will see Crossrail 2 implemented, I’m sure that the STAR line can be sacrificed to make space. But that would create difficulty in maintaining an adequate service between Angel Road and Stratford whilst the four-tracjing is being carried out.
In some ways STAR has the feel of one of those temporary diversions you get in road works to keep the traffic moving.
- Tottenham Hale station is going to be rebuilt.
- Transport is needed urgently for Meridian Water.
- STAR connects Angel Road to Stratford with all its connections and Crossrail from 2018.
- When Crossrail 2 is opened, Angel Road, Northumberland Park and Tottenham Hale stations will have a frequent high capacity service.
- Greater Anglia might move some Cambridge and Stansted services from Liverpool Street to Stratford.
I wouldn’t be sure that STAR would still exist after Crossrail 2 opens.
- There will be well upwards of ten tph Crossrail 2 trains in both directions calling at Angel Road station.
- STAR connects Meridian Water with Stratford.
- STAR gives a four tph connection between Crossrail 2 at Tottenham Hale and Crossrail at Stratford.
Passenger numbers and patterns will decide.
A Turnback Platform Is Being Considered At Tottenham Hale
Tottenham Hale station is being rebuilt and I suspect that if a turnback platform is being considered the station will have provision for the extra platform to be built.
This picture shows the Southern end of Platform 2 at the station with the Ferry Lane Bridge behind.
It certainly couldn’t be described as good engineering.
Connecting the two current platforms is a 1960s bridge, which has steps at both end and a single escalator to bring passengers arriving from the North onto the bridge to walk to the Victoria Line.
Plans for the station envisage a lot of work being done before the end of next year. Future in the Wikipedia entry for the station includes these plans.
- creating a new landmark entrance to the Station;
- increasing the capacity of the Station concourse, by doubling the size of the current ticket hall;
- improving interchange by relocating the Greater Anglia and London Underground gatelines;
- providing new access to platforms via the new Access for All (AfA) bridge being delivered separately by Network Rail;
- removing the existing subway which links the south side of Ferry Lane with the Station;
- extending the existing bridge to form a new Station entrance from Hale Village, providing improved access from the east to Tottenham Hale transport interchange;
- re-routing the London Underground escape route and relocating the vent shaft;
- providing a new, upgraded Station control facility; and
- retail units.
Nothing is said about a turnback platform.
But I think if the Ferry Lane Bridge was to be rebuilt and the new station was modified appropriately, the turnback platform could be positioned behind and alongside the current platform 2.
- It would share step-free access with that provided for platform 2.
- There would be cross-platform for passengers arriving in the turnback platform, with services going further down the line.
- The current waiting room would be demolished.
- There would be space for the platform.
Current works at the station are moving the taxi rank, which would help the provision of a turnback platform and other features.
A Turnback Platform Is Being Considered At Enfield Lock
When I looked at Enfield Lock station, I showed this Google Map of Enfield Lock station.
Given that there will be two extra lines through the area, will there be any space for a turnback platform?
In Level Crossing Issues, I said this.
The Southernmost three of these crossings; Enfield Lock, Brimsdown and Northumberland Park, are close to the A1055 which is variously called Meridian Way or Mollison Avenue, which was built to serve the various industrial and residential sites between Tottenham Hale and Waltham Cross.
This road should obviously be improved, but look at this Google Map of the Northern End of the road.
Note the West Anglia Main Line crossing the map, in a North-South direction. Waltham Cross station is on the other side of the M25.
Surely this could be a site for a new Park-and-Ride station for Crossrail 2!
Could this be where the turnback platform at Enfield Lock will be located in a new station?
Turnback Platforms And Stabling Sidings Are Considered At Broxbourne
Broxborne station has everything needed to be turned into a superb Northern terminus for Crossrail 2.
- The station has four platforms; two fast and two slow, with cross-platform change.
- The station is step-free.
- There is space to add extra through and turnback platforms.
- There is space for stabling sidings.
- There is space for masses amounts of parking.
- The station has a large water feature including the River Lea and the New River.
The station is even Grade II Listed.
I said more in this post called Broxbourne Station. The final paragraph is.
It would not need a massive amount of money to be spent at Broxbourne to make the station a superb Northern terminus for Crossrail 2. It makes Shenfield and Abbey Wood look decidedly second-class now.
It is not often that the terminus of a new rail line is so easy to develop.
Other Questions And Issues
As I have written this post, several questions and issues have suggested themselves.
- What will be done about the noise of 100 mph plus trains every few minutes on some parts of the route, like through Enfield Lock and Waltham Cross?
- Could the two new fast lines be placed in a cut-and-cover tunnel through Tottenham Hale?
- Do any plans exist for the replacement of the Ferry Lane Bridge at Tottenham Hale?
- Could the High Meads Loop be used to turn trains at Stratford?
- Will a station be built on the High Meads Loop to serve Stratford International station?
Like Coppermill Junction, it will all get very complicated.
Conclusion
STAR, Crossrail 2 and four-tracking the West Anglia Main Line will probably bring a lot of benefits, but it is not a simple project.
A Design Crime – Stratford International Station
I went to Canterbury today and took the Highspeed service from Stratford International station.
These are pictures I took at the station.
Most stations have the odd design issue, but Stratford International has a whole warehouse that’s full of them.
International In Name, But Not Trains
Stratford International station must be the only station in the world, which is billed as an International station, where all trains are domestic.
That to me is fraud!
Should I report the station to the Police?
Connecting With Stratford Station
I travelled to the station via the domestic Stratford station, which meant I had to walk the best part of a mile through the Eastfield Shopping Centre, which was mainly closed as it was earl;y in the morning.
Surely the connection could have been designed to be a shorter walk.
It’s not even straight through the Shopping Centre, but you have to double back after going right through almost to John Lewis.
It’s just designed so you pass as many shops as possible. I was wanting to use a train, not buy something.
This Google Map shows the two Stratford stations.
Topsy could have designed it better. Even when she was about five!
Surely something better can be done.
The Link To The Docklands Light Railway
You could use the Docklands Light Railway, but then that introduces more changes into to your journey.It is the route recommended by the National Rail Journey Planner.
But the DLR station is on the other side of a road, rather than inside Stratford International station.
The Link To Crossrail
It’s only going to get worse when Crossrail opens, as passengers wanting to go to between say Paddington and East Kent will be drawn to Stratford, only to discover the struggle through Eastfield to Stratford International.
The alternative route via Abbey Wood will be slower and will probably mean extra changes.
There will be one better route available from Crossrail to Stratford International, when the new line opens and that will be to go to Canary Wharf station and, take the short walk to Poplar DLR station. A trip on London’s unique Docklands Light Railway will take you direct to Stratford International station. The DLR always delivers when the chips are down, just as it did in the 2012 Olympics.
No Place To Wait Before The Platforms
Except for a few uncomfortable seats designed by a sadist and what looks to be a comfortable cafe, there is no place to wait on the station concourse before going to the platforms.
A few comfortable seats would be welcome.
The Bleakest Platforms In The UK
That is being charitable, as in all my traels across Europe, even in say a very cold Eastern Europe, any set of platforms as unwelcoming.
Perhaps I should try Siberia!
Appalling Train Access For The Disabled
Considering that the Class 395 trains are the only ones to use the platforms, the disabled acess using a ramp is so nineteenth century.
I joked about the quality of this to a member of staff and they said that in the rush hour, they are sometimes assisting as many as four passengers.
It’s probably lucky that the HighSpeed service is not an intense one, as with this level of disabled access, there would be train delays.
Conclusion
The station and line is a disgrace and especially for the disabled.
Considering it was only built a few years ago, everybody concerned should hang their heads in shame.
What would I do?
- Where the DLR goes under the main line platforms at Stratford station, between the two subways, I’d extend the DLR platforms underneath and provide direct access between the two levels. This must be possible and would enable passengers to change between main line, Crossrail and Central Line services with the DLR between Canary Wharf and Stratford International.
- Try and improve the connection to the DLR at Stratford International
- Replace or modify the Class 395 trains/pltform interface with something fit for purpose, that had level access to the platforms, so wheelchair passengers could just roll in.
- Do something about the bleakness of the station.
I’d also increase the number of Highspeed services through the station, so that all destinations got at least two direct trains per hour from Stratford.
I would also add some extra new destinations like Eastbourne and Hastings.
Platforms 11 and 12 At Stratford
In December this year, an service hourly service called STAR will be started between Stratford and Angel Road along the Temple Mills Branch of the Lea Valley Lines via Lea Bridge, Tottenham Hale and Northumberland Park stations. Wikipedia says this about services to and from the Angel Road station.
Angel Road is only served by a number of trains every weekday to and from Stratford. No services operate at the station on weekends or public holidays. However, from December 2015 Angel Road will receive an hourly service to Stratford that will start here and vice versa, the service will be known as (STAR).
STAR services will obviously call at the new Lea Bridge station, when it opens next year.
I shall probably use the service occasionally, when I need to get home from Stratford, as Lea Bridge station is on the 56 bus route that passes by my house.
At Stratford, there are two platforms that have been positioned to give easy access to the Temple Mills Branch through Lea Bridge and Tottenham Hale and onwards to Stansted Airport. I took these pictures of the platforms.
They sit at the end of the two London Overground platforms, which are the Eastern terminus of the North London Line. You can see two Class 378 trains peeking out from underneath the rusty bridge. (Not my name, but an East London nickname, I’ve heard from locals and station staff!) This Google Map shows the layout of the platforms.
Stratford Platforms 11 And 12
In the map, platforms 11 and 12 curve away to the North from underneath the rusty bridge, which connects Eastfield to Stratford town centre.
Platform 11 is the Easternmost platform and is used as the terminus of the Stratford to Bishops Stortford service, which has been rumoured many would like extended to Stansted.
Platforms 1 and 2 for the North London Line are connected to the unused Platform 12, by a simple walkway, so in the future if Platform 12 is used for the STAR services, passengers going from anywhere on the North London Line to Tottenham Hale or Angel Road would just have an easy interchange.
As the STAR service will initially be an hourly service and the Bishops Stortford service is half-hourly and they run from platforms connected by a subway, I can’t help feeling that this will be an arrangement that won’t last long, before it is improved.
Suppose you arrive at Stratford wanting to get home to your house near Lea Bridge station and just miss the hourly train. Do you wait an hour for another train or catch the Bishops Stortford train, that will probably stop at Lea Bridge, after the new station opens?
It would be so much easier, if the two local services started from an shared island platform or at lest two platforms with a level walk between them.
This is going to get very complicated, if some of the plans for Stratford services up the Lea Valley are implemented.
- I’ve read several times, that reinstatement of the link to Stansted Airport is an aspiration of many, especially as Stratford is close to the Olympic Park and it is an important rail interchange and a terminus for two branches of the DLR and the Jubilee and North London Lines.
- There are also aspirations to start a direct service between the Chingford branch and Stratford using the reinstated Hall Farm Curve.
- With all of the housing, business and leisure developments along the lower Lea Valley, it will not be long before an hourly STAR service is inadequate.
- If the Hall Farm Curve is reinstated, would there be a need to run services between the Chingford branch and the North London Line?
- There is also the Crossrail effect, which in the Lea Valley’s case could not be just Crossrail, but Crossrail 2 if that ever gets built.
- Perhaps unlikely now, but I feel that at some point the Dalston Eastern Curve will be reopened, so enabling services between say Walthamstow to South London.
- Is there a need to better connect Stratford International station to the main regional complex?
I can’t help feeling that the layout of Platforms 11 and 12 will at some time not be able to handle all the Lea Valley services.
I suspect though there may be an innovative solution.
Look at the Google Map and you see that the Temple Mills Branch passes over the deep hole of the International station. I wrote Is This The Most Unwelcoming Station In The UK? about that dreadful station.
So could two or three bay platforms to serve the Lea Valley and Stansted Airport, be built alongside the Temple Mills Branch, as it passes over the International station?
This Google Map shows Stratford International station.
Stratford International Station
The building at the bottom right is also shown on the previous map that shows Platforms 11 and 12.
If the extra platforms were built over the Eastern end of the International station, it would enable the following.
- A new Eastern entrance to the International station could be created to give better connections between International and High Speed services from Stratford International and all the other services at Stratford Regional station.
- Crossrail would have a step-free interchange to Eurostar and other International services, if those services stopped at the International station.
- Interchange between Lea Valley and North London Line services, would be via a double Clapham Kiss, where passengers would just walk on the level to the other set of platforms.
- There might be opportunities to extend or improve the connectivity of the DLR. The current DLR station is at the top left of the map.
- Any direct services between the Temple Mills Branch and the North London Line would use the existing Platforms 11 and 12.
To get the connection right, the pedestrian links would have to be well-designed, but surely there is space to put a travelator effectively between the Regional and International stations.
Stratford International station would end up as what it should be, the International section of Stratford station.
The High Meads Loop At Stratford
This piece started life as an investigation into a rail line connecting the North London and Lea Valley Lines at Stratford, but it ended up as more of an index to what is happening to trains around Stratford and up the Lea Valley.
If you travel on the North London Line from Hackney Wick station to Stratford station, you’ll see a rail line going off to the North side of the line under the Olympic Village.
High Meads Loop At Stratford Joins North London Line
If you travel up the Lea Valley Line, you’ll see the other end of the line.
High Meads Loop At Stratford Joins Lea Valley Line
This is the High Meads Loop and it is generally used to move freight trains. You can see it on this Google Earth image, as it curls round the western side of Stratford International station, starting from the triangular junction to the east of Hackney Wick station and the River Lea and eventually joining the Lea Valley Line between Stratford and the under-construction Lea Bridge station.
High Meads Loop
I walked around the area today starting from Stratford International DLR station and much of it is hidden under concrete in East Village.
What has always surprised me, is that this line doesn’t appear to have provision for a station, especially as it could connect to so many important places in the area.
But then it does seem to me that the design of the rail system in the area of the Olympic Park and Village didn’t put getting an efficient railway first. These questions must be answered.
1. Why was a fully-functional International station, built at Stratford International and has then never been used to run services to the Continent through the Channel Tunnel? This is answered partially in this section in Wikipedia about International services at the station. If Kent gets two stations at Ebbsfleet and Ashford International, then surely East London and Essex deserves one too!
2. Why too, is the link between the two Stratford stations, so much of an afterthought? Today, when I came back from my walk, there was the inevitable lost soul, who’d taken a train to Stratford International and needed to get a train to Romford. And his Narional Rail ticket wasn’t valid for the one-stop hop on the Docklands Light Railway. But this is East London and the Train Captain told him to ride Don’t get me wrong, I like the DLR, but surely for the Olympics we could have put a more spectacular or at least a better link between the two stations?
3. In some ways too, I often think that they used the high-speed service from St. Pancras to Stratford, just to give it something to do. For a start foreign day-trippers to the Olympics should have come straight into Stratford International on Eurostar. Why wasn’t this arranged?
4. I am pretty local to the Olympic Park and can get a train from Dalston Kingsland to Stratford. I went to the Olympic Park that way a couple of times, but to get home, the powers-that-be either sent you to Stratford International or West Ham. In one instance I walked to Clapton and got a bus home as everything was congested. The arrangements might have worked for getting to Central London, but they weren’t good for locals, who like me wanted to walk out of the Olympic Park and then probably get a bus home. One solution would have been to put more capacity on the North London Line, by extending the Class 378 trains to five cars, as is now being done. Why wasn’t this done on the North London Line in time for the Olympics? Especially, as the line has always been overcrowded compared to the East London Line.
5. Soon after the Olympics, I met a big cheese in the Docklands Light Railway on a train. He felt and I probably will agree with him, that the DLR overperformed in the Olympics and dear old Cinderella didn’t miss a beat. I suspect though that to many she has more than a touch of Minnie Mouse, but to East Londoners and knowledgeable visitors, she is the way to travel, where you get a grandstand view much of the time. So why wasn’t more use made of the DLR for the Olympics by designing it into the heart of the Olympic Park?
6. We also had the farce of if you went to the Olympics from St. Pancras, you had to go through the Eastfield shopping centre to get into the Olympic Park. Why? Was the Olympics about sport or shopping?
7. Look at this Google Earth image of the Eastfield shopping centre.
Eastfield
Notice how the DLR goes under the centre and emerges on the west side before curving round to get to the station at Stratford International. It has always puzzled me that no provision has been made for an extra station on this loop. It strikes me that the developers feel most shoppers will bring their cars or not buy anything heavy. I would use the centre more if it was easier to get home from say John Lewis with perhaps something weighing ten or twenty kilos. Why was this extension of the DLR designed to be never more than a timid link?
If I look at some of the rail designs of the last few years, I get the impression, that they are less timid and not designed to be easiest to construct. The London Overground in particular has been innovative in some of its infrastructure to design affordable and efficient railways. Look at the Clapham Kiss as just one example.
In any developments to improve Stratford, there is also a thundering herd of elephants in the room, which will probably have more effect on what happens than any politician.
And that is Crossrail!
What is planned now is only Phase 1 of Crossrail and future developments will give Crossrail a bigger share of London’s passengers and even more influence.
1. Crossrail has been designed to take slightly longer trains and with its massively long platforms, the capacity of the system is quite a bit bigger than what we’ll see when the line opens.
2. Crossrail can also take more trains through the core, so we’ll definitely see extra branches on the line. Ebbsfleet on HS1 is safeguarded and Tring on the West Coast Main Line is being seriously studied.
3. Crossrail lacks an easy and hopefully cross-platform interchange to high speed services to Europe and in the future to the North. An easy interchange to HS1 at St. Pancras and Stratford is impossible, but one at Ebbsfleet could be incorporated with the extension of Crossrail to the station.
So what do I think should be done to sort out the sins of the pre-Olympic rail system development in the Stratford area?
1. A Better Connection Between The Two Stratford Stations And To The Eastfield Shopping Centre.
Look at this Google Earth image of Stratford station.
Stratford Layout
The DLR branch between Stratford International and the core system passes underneath the rail lines, including Crossrail and the Overground , and the Central Line, at right angles.
The passenger connection between the DLR and the lines passing through above is not easy, although it is step-free. If you take the wrong tunnel from the rail lines, you end up on the wrong DLR platform.
As the two subways are one each side of the DLR lines, couldn’t something better be done to make this interchange easier? For a start how about a sign saying take these stairs from the through platform to get your DLR service to Stratford International?
I also think that there should have been a station on the DLR line underneath Eastfield. It would be interesting to know what the shopping centre thinks.
2. Will We Ever See International Services From The Station That Has The Word In Its Name?
If Crossrail extends to Ebbsfleet, this will take a big chunk out of High Speed passengers to Stratford and St. Pancras. If say you lived in East Kent and worked in the City or the West End of London, why would you not take a convenient service, High Speed or otherwise, to Ebbsfleet and then change to Crossrail for where you actually needed to go?
Stratford International also lacks an easy link to all of the other services at Stratford and especially to Crossrail, even if the DLR link is improved. But any cross-platform link is impossible!
Passengers will get increasingly fed up with second-rate stations, when they see some of the modern ones that work, like Reading and Kings Cross. St. Pancras may look spectacular, but it is A Fur Coat And No Knickers Station
So Stratford International, which I find an unwelcoming place, could become a massive white elephant, that had its brief moment of fame at the Olympics.
3. The Moans In North East London
Read the various Internet forums and web pages and some of the biggest complaints are about the poor transport links to and from places in North East London and the Lea Valley, like Walthamstow, Leyton and Tottenham.
Things are improving,
The transfer of the Lea Valley Lines to an operator who cares about passengers in London and the uprating of the Victoria Line later this year, can’t be anything but positive.
But more could be done!
4. A Shoreditch High Street Station On The Central Line?
After Crossrail has bedded in, will we finally see a connection between the Central Line and the East London Line at Shoreditch High Street? I think we will as because Crossrail is an effective by-pass for the Central Line from Stratford to Liverpool Street, the Central Line could probably be shut for several months under Shoreditch High Street, whilst the link is created without causing too much inconvenience to passengers, except for those using Bethnal Green. But even those would have the new Whitechapel Crossrail station a couple of bus stops away
5. Extending the DLR to Tottenham Hale
This was mooted a few years ago and a document called DLR Horizon 2020 talked about extending the system from Stratford International up alongside the Lea Valley Lines to Tottenham Hale station. This article on London Reconnections describes the proposal like this.
Extend the DLR from Stratford International to Tottenham Hale via the Lea Valley. The route would run alongside the current Lea Valley rail lines where possible and the line would serve the Olympic site and feature additional stops at Lea Bridge and Walthamstow Marshes.
It may be a worthy idea, but does it really make economic sense, when according to what you believe a lot of things may be happening in the area.
- A new Lea Bridge station and a new Hall Farm Curve are being created.
- A rebuilt Hackney Wick station is being planned.
- Crossrail 2 is being promoted and could serve the area.
- Transport for London will be taking their first bite out of the Lea Valley Lines in the very near future.
- There could be a a major upgrade in the Tottenham Hale area, which is described in this document on the Haringey Council web site.
- According to this Future section in Wikipedia for the Tottenham Hale station, funding is being sought to add extra tracks to the Lea Valley Line so that four trains per hour can be run on the line.
When the heavy rail expansion is sorted and the area between Tottenham and Walthamstow is developed as housing and a very large wetland and leisure area, the case for a Lea Valley Light Railway may be stronger.
6. Using The High Meads Loop For Passengers
Trains can use the High Meads Loop to pass across the northern side of Stratford Intergenerational station. This Google Earth image of the station, shows the lines passing round the North-Western corner.
Stratford International Station
Note also the Docklands Light Railway station on the northern side of the deep station box, virtually above the DLR logo.
I think with a will a station could be built on the High Meads Loop just to the north of the DLR station, which would allow trains to travel between the North London Line and the Lea Valley Line calling at a station close to the International station and possibly a station in the East Village.
But as with extending the DLR from Stratford International would it all be worthwhile?
Unless of course some developer wants to do a mega-development and pays for the trains and the infrastructure.
7. Conclusion
I think we should leave well enough alone and accept that Stratford International station is probably a shining white elephant.
In the meantime, we should make it easier to transfer between one station too many at Stratford.
The High Meads Loop is probably best left to sort out the freight that has to travel through the area until someone does the right thing and builds a proper freight line that avoids the North London and the Gospel Oak to Barking Lines.
Searching For Gluten-Free Cocktail Sausages
I finally tracked down some of Marks and Spencers gluten-free cocktail sausages in their store at Eastfield.
They have also opened up a new gluten-free section for chilled goods, like fish cakes.
The Anonymous Widower 