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Thursday 16 Sep 2021

Stratford station congestion relief scheme secures DfT development funding

Region & Route:

Eastern: Anglia

Network Rail has secured a £2m boost from the Department of Transport (DfT) to help develop plans to help relieve congestion at London’s Stratford station.

Since the 2012 Olympics, Stratford Station has seen huge growth in demand at the station and despite the impact of the pandemic, the forecast for this is only set to grow as the area continues to regenerate.

Prior to the pandemic, almost 42 million passengers used Stratford station to start, continue or complete a journey between 2019 and 2020, making Stratford the busiest non-terminal station in London.

As a comparison, this is the approximate equivalent of Birmingham New Street station with only a fifth of the space available to manage the same number of passengers. 

During peak times, the station can be very busy and requires congestion management measures including one-way systems around the station and onto the platforms to maintain passenger safety.  

The DfT funding will help Network Rail to develop plans for the TfL managed station, maintaining the safety of the station environment for passengers during busy times and improve the overall station experience, particularly as passenger numbers continue to rise.  

Subject to approval and further funding, the improvements could help create more room on specific platforms and around entrances to improve circulation space. In collaboration with TfL, other changes could see improved information screens and wayfinding.

Ellie Burrows, Network Rail’s route director for Anglia said: ‘I’m delighted that we have been provided with the funding for the next stage of development to help relieve congestion at this important station in East London. I appreciate it can be challenging to navigate around the station during busy times which is why we are developing plans to help provide more space, improve passenger circulation and maintain safety at the station.’

The work could take place in phases and passengers may begin to see the first phase of work taking place between late 2022 and 2024 with the potential for more work over the next 5 years.

More information will be provided in due course as plans progress.