Stratford     | |
|---|---|
| Stratford Regional[2] | |
| Stratford (London)[1] | |
.jpg) The station's south entrance | |
  Stratford Location of Stratford in London Borough of Newham | |
| Location | Stratford |
| Local authority | London Borough of Newham |
| Managed by | Transport for London[3] |
| Owner | |
| Station code | SRA |
| DfT category | B |
| Number of platforms | 19 (17 in use) |
| Accessible | Yes[4][5] |
| Fare zone | 2 and3 |
| London Underground annual entry and exit | |
| 2020 |  25.07 million[6] |
| 2021 |  29.11 million[7] |
| 2022 | 47.88 million[8] |
| 2023 | 54.38 million[9] |
| 2024 | 55.72 million[10] |
| DLR annual boardings and alightings | |
| 2019 | 10.453 million[11] |
| 2020 | 8.757 million[12] |
| 2021 | 9.977 million[13] |
| 2022 | included in Underground usage[14] |
| 2023 | included in Underground usage[15] |
| National Rail annual entry and exit | |
| 2019–20 | 41.912 million[16] |
| – interchange | 4.882 million[16] |
| 2020–21 | 13.985 million[16] |
| – interchange | 1.746 million[16] |
| 2021–22 | 28.182 million[16] |
| – interchange | 3.184 million[16] |
| 2022–23 | 44.137 million[16] |
| – interchange | 5.524 million[16] |
| 2023–24 | 56.571 million[16] |
| – interchange | 5.542 million[16] |
| Key dates | |
| 20 June 1839 | Opened byECR |
| 4 December 1946 | Central line started |
| 31 August 1987 | DLR started |
| 14 May 1999 | Jubilee line started |
| Other information | |
| External links | |
| Coordinates | 51°32′32″N0°00′12″W / 51.5422°N 0.0033°W /51.5422; -0.0033 |
 London transport portal | |
Stratford is a major multi-levelinterchange station serving the town ofStratford and themixed-use development known asStratford City, in theLondon Borough of Newham,East London forLondon Underground,London Overground,Docklands Light Railway (DLR) andElizabeth line services.National Rail services also operate on theWest Anglia Main Line and theGreat Eastern Main Line, 4 miles 3 chains (6.5 km) fromLiverpool Street.
It is the fifthbusiest railway station in Britain,[17] the busiest station in London outside theLondon station group,[18] and is the busiest station on the London Underground network outsideLondon fare zone 1.[17]
On the London Underground, Stratford is on theCentral line betweenMile End andLeyton stations. It is also the eastern terminus of theJubilee line and the next station towards west isWest Ham. On the DLR, it is a terminus for some trains and for others it is a through-station betweenStratford High Street andStratford International. On the Overground, it is the terminus of theMildmay line; on the main line it is served byElizabeth line stopping services betweenPaddington andShenfield and by medium- and longer-distance services operated byGreater Anglia to and from numerous destinations in theEast of England. There are also limited off-peak services operated byc2c connecting to theLondon, Tilbury and Southend line toShoeburyness.
The station was opened in 1839 by theEastern Counties Railway. Today it is owned byNetwork Rail and is inLondon fare zone 2/3.[19] To distinguish it fromStratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire it is sometimes referred to asStratford (London),[1] or asStratford Regional to differentiate it from Stratford International, which is some 400 yards (370 m) to the north.[2] Stratford served as a key travel hub for the2012 Olympic andParalympic Games held in London.[20]
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Stratford station was opened on 20 June 1839 by theEastern Counties Railway (ECR) with the first station building being located on Angel Lane which crossed the line on an over-bridge to the east of the station. TheNorthern and Eastern Railway opened a section of its authorised line fromBroxbourne to join the ECR at Stratford on 15 September 1840.[21] As well as a station, a railway works was built adjacent to the line to Broxbourne. This and theengine shed later expanded into the area to the west of the station which is now occupied by a shopping centre andStratford International station.
The ECR tracks were originally set to agauge of5 ft (1,524 mm) on the recommendation of engineer John Braithwaite. At this time there was no legislation dictating the choice of gauge and indeed the directors favoured theGreat Western Railway's broad gauge7 ft (2,134 mm). Braithwaite persuaded the directors otherwise on the grounds of additional cost but recommended the5 ft gauge in an effort to reduce wear on locomotive parts. This choice meant that theNorthern & Eastern Railway who were planning to share the ECR line between Stratford and Bishopsgate were forced to adopt the same gauge.[22]
With the extension of the ECR in the early 1840s it became apparent thatstandard gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) was a more realistic choice and subsequently between September and October 1844 the gauge conversion was carried out. At the same time the associatedNorthern & Eastern Railway was also converted.
New station buildings were built in 1847 replacing the original structure on Angel Road. These were located in the V between the Cambridge and Colchester lines and access was via Station Road.[23]
The line through the low level platforms first opened in 1846 as a goods only branch as far as Thames Wharf. The bridge under the main line was too low for many locomotives, so a number of engines were equipped with hinged chimneys in order they could operate the line.[24] On opening there was also a line that linked what is now known as the Great Eastern Main Line directly to the docks enabling through running from Colchester to Thames Wharf. The docks and associated railway networks expanded with passenger services to North Woolwich starting in 1847.[25]
There was an accident at Stratford station on 18 July 1846 when an up goods train ran into the back of a passenger train from Ipswich. There were 10 passengers seriously injured one of whom later died.[26]
In 1854 the newly opened London Tilbury and Southend Railway served Stratford joining the main line at Forest Gate Junction a few miles north. Their services generally servedFenchurch Street and were routed via theBow Road route (although that station was not opened at this time) although some carriages were detached at Stratford for onward working to Bishopsgate. This practice was discontinued in 1856 as passengers preferred the more conveniently sited (for the city) Fenchurch Street.
In connection with the introduction of the new LTSR services a third line was built from Stratford to Bow Junction which was used by down Fenchurch Street services and a new platform face opened.[23]
It soon became apparent that congestion was a problem at Stratford and by 1856 permission was sought to build a line from Barking to Gas Factory Junction (Bow) which was opened in 1858. After that LTSR trains were no longer routed via Stratford.[27]
By 1855 there were links from both the low and high-level stations to the North London Line as well as a spur that enabled trains from Liverpool Street to North Woolwich to avoid Stratford altogether (although this served Stratford Market station) which was a short distance away. Services from the North London line normally started from Victoria Park and ran through to Stratford Market. This service operated from 1866 until 1874 and was operated by the GER andNorth London Railway in alternate years up until 31 October 1874.[28]
TheNorth London Railway was also running through Stratford high level with two return trains per day from Hampstead Road (later renamed Chalk Farm) via Victoria Park and Forest Gate Junctions to Tilbury which commenced on 1 July 1855 and finished 30 September.[29]
Services toLoughton commenced on 22 August 1856 and used the Lea Valley platforms, leaving the main line at Loughton Branch Junction half a mile north of Stratford. Initially nine trains per day operated to Fenchurch Street (Bishopsgate on Sundays) on this route.[30]
By the 1860s the railways in East Anglia were in financial trouble, and most were leased to the ECR; they wished to amalgamate formally, but could not obtain government agreement for this until 1862, when theGreat Eastern Railway was formed by amalgamation. Thus Stratford became a GER station in 1862.[31]
The Loughton branch was extended to Ongar on 24 April 1865 and by 1874 there were a total of 40 trains each day (10 terminating at Loughton, 18 at Epping and 12 at Ongar) with most serving the newly opened Liverpool Street although a few peak hour services continued to serve Fenchurch Street.[32]
Even after LTSR services were routed away from Stratford in 1858 working remained intense. Following an accident in 1866 the accident report noted that "Stratford needs complete re-arranging, extending and fitting with modern improvements for working points and signals, as in its present state it appears to be quite insufficient for the traffic that passes through it". Although one of the signal boxes had interlocking fitted soon after, the poor state of GER finances saw little further work until 1877 when a significant rebuilding of Stratford took place.
Another short-lived North London Railway service operated in September and October 1866, linking Chalk Farm with Barking (again routed via Victoria Park and Forest Gate Junctions). This service was withdrawn due to congestion, and one of the services was involved in a collision on 10 September 1866 with 20 passengers being injured.[29][33]
The 1877 rebuilding saw a number of changes made, which were:
Between 1886 and 1887, improvements were made to the station buildings and the canopies extended.[23]
On 26 December 1886, a train was derailed at Stratford station as facing points had not been properly locked into position. Fortunately there was no loss of life.[34]
By 1889, traffic on the GER had grown to such an extent, that quadrupling the section from Bethnal Green to Bow Junction and from Maryland Point-Romford was proposed. Once again significant changes which were implemented between 1891 and 1893 and included:
In 1896, the low-level line was lowered under the main line so locomotives no longer required hinged chimneys.[24]
By July 1897, it was apparent that the decision not to include platforms on both Through lines was causing some operational difficulty. To address this a new platform serving the Up Through line was opened in 1900.
TheFairlop Loop opened on 1 May 1903 and services generally ran as an out and back circle from either Liverpool Street or Fenchurch Street. The routing of these services was Liverpool Street – Stratford – Ilford – Fairlop Loop – Woodford – Stratford – Liverpool Street) and Liverpool Street – Stratford – Woodford – Fairlop Loop – Ilford – Stratford – Liverpool Street in the reverse direction.[36]
On 1 January 1923, the GER became part of theLondon & North Eastern Railway.
By the 1930s electric tramways were taking a lot of traffic from the railway and proposals were drawn up to electrify the lines from Liverpool Street to Shenfield using the 1500 V DC system. By 1938 the major contracts were let and work started. Despite the commencement of the Second World War in 1939, work was initially continued on the scheme, however, the scheme was postponed in late 1940. In February 1946, the LNER announced work would recommence. On 5 October 1946, the new interchange platforms with the Central line (see below) were opened.[37]
London UndergroundCentral line services started on 4 December 1946, extended from Liverpool Street station in new tunnels after being delayed due to theSecond World War.[38] The line was further extended toLeyton on 5 May 1947 and then to the formerGreat Eastern Railway branch lines toEpping,Ongar andHainault progressively until 1957.[39] Prior to this date trains to and from Epping and Ongar had used the currently numbered platforms 11 and 12 and diverged from the Broxbourne line about half a mile north of the station. Trains for the Hainault loop used either these platforms or the currently numbered platform 5 (up) or 8 (down) diverging from the Great Eastern Main Line at a junction between Ilford and Seven Kings which has since been redeveloped as part of the Ilford Carriage sheds.
The nationalisation of Britain's railways saw the operation of Stratford station pass toBritish Railways Eastern Region. A new station building was designed byThomas Bennett and opened in 1948.[40]
Progress on electrification that had been halted by the Second World War resumed after the end of hostilities. The line between Liverpool Street and Stratford was electrified from 3 December 1946, and the full electrification of the Shenfield line at 1500 V DC was completed in September 1949.The electric service between Liverpool Street to Shenfield was inaugurated on 26 September 1949 but services were run to steam timings with a number of steam trains still operating. The full electric service officially commenced on 7 November 1949 (although a full dummy run had taken place the previous day). Two days earlier services to Fenchurch Street via Bow Road were withdrawn.[41]
On 8 April 1953, 12 people were killed and 46 were injured as a result of arear-end collision in a tunnel just to the east of Stratford station, caused bydriver error after asignal failure.[42][43] TheStratford tube crash was London Underground's worst accident in terms of fatalities until theMoorgate tube crash in 1975. A very similar accident had occurred in 1946 at exactly the same location, killing one railway employee.
Between 1960 and 1961, the 1,500 V DC electrification to Shenfield which had been extended to Southend and Chelmsford was converted to 6.25kV AC.[44] In the autumn of 1980, conversion of the overhead electrification from 6.25kV AC to the standard supply of 25kV ac of the Liverpool St. to Shenfield line was completed.[45]
TheDocklands Light Railway (DLR) opened on 31 August 1987 reusing redundant rail routes through theBow andPoplar areas to reach the new Docklands developments on theIsle of Dogs.[46][47] Initially the line used one of the south facing bays which had been built for the Fenchurch street via Bow Road service (but never used).[48]
In the 1990s, the low-level station was substantially rebuilt as part of theJubilee Line Extension works.[49] This work included three additional surface platforms and a train crew building (designed byTroughton McAslan) and a large steel and glass building that encloses much of the low-level station, providing a new ticket hall (designed byWilkinson Eyre).[49] The old ticket hall, at the eastern end of the station and connected via a subway, has since been demolished. TheJubilee line opened to passengers on 14 May 1999 as far asNorth Greenwich station, and toGreen Park andStanmore in November 1999.[50][51]
In preparation for the2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the capacity of the station was tripled at a cost of around £200m, with construction work funded by theOlympic Delivery Authority (£125m) andWestfield.[52][53] It was estimated that around 120,000 people would use the station at peak periods during the Games.[54][55]
Construction took place between 2005 and 2011, and work included:[56][52][54]
Since the turn of the millennium, "passenger movements"[a] have risen from around 40 million a year in 2006 to 128 million in 2019, making itone of Britain's major rail interchanges.[60]
From 6 November 2022,Elizabeth line services enter the central tunnel built as part of theCrossrail project, allowing direct trains toHeathrow andReading viaPaddington.[61] All trains, save for some early morning, late night and peak hour services, go via Whitechapel.
Work started in 2023 to add a new entrance to the station at its southwestern corner, adjacent to the Jubilee line concourse, allowing access to theCarpenters Estate.[62] This will reducing walking time for local residents by up to 20 minutes.[62]The new entrance opened on 10 July 2024.[63]
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The high-level platforms run at right angles to the low-level, roughly east–west. TheDocklands Light Railway serving platforms 16 and 17 passes beneath the high-level station. Except for platforms 4A and 4B, access from the main station entrance is viasubways, one of which links theJubilee line platforms directly to platforms 3 and 5 to 10. Another subway, which had served the old entrance to the station, was re-opened in September 2010.[65]
These platforms are at ground level and run north–south. Platforms 13 to 16 are served by a footbridge (with lifts and escalators) from the main station entrance, while platform 17 adjoins directly onto the main station concourse.
Stratford is a major rail hub with services operated byGreater Anglia,London Overground (on theMildmay line), theElizabeth line andLondon Underground (on theCentral andJubilee lines). The typical off-peak service in trains per hour (tph) is:
| Operator/line | Frequency to destination |
|---|---|
| London Underground Central line | 9 tph toEaling Broadway 9 tph toWest Ruislip 3 tph toNortholt 3 tph toWhite City |
| 9 tph toHainault (via Newbury Park) 3 tph toNewbury Park 9 tph toEpping 3 tph toLoughton | |
| London Underground Jubilee line | 12 tph toStanmore 4 tph toWembley Park 4 tph toWillesden Green 4 tph toWest Hampstead |
| Elizabeth line | 6 tph toPaddington |
| 2 tph toHeathrow Terminal 5 | |
| 8 tph toShenfield | |
| London Overground Mildmay line | 4 tph toRichmond 4 tph toClapham Junction |
| Docklands Light Railway | 12 tph toCanary Wharf viaPoplar |
| 8 tph toStratford International | |
| 8 tph toWoolwich Arsenal viaLondon City Airport | |
| Greater Anglia | 7 tph (+ 1 tph to set down only) toLondon Liverpool Street |
| East Anglia 3 tph toSouthend Victoria 1 tph toNorwich (pick up only) 1 tph toBraintree 1 tph toClacton-on-Sea 1 tph toColchester Town 1 tph toIpswich | |
| West Anglia 2 tph toBishop's Stortford 2 tph toMeridian Water | |
| c2c (weekends only) | 2tph toShoeburyness 2tph to London Liverpool Street |
All lines at Stratford are electrified, although a few passenger and freight services which pass through this station are hauled by diesel locomotives. At one time there were four different systems ofelectrification in use, a record for any station in London. However, since the diversion of theNorth London line from the low-level to the new high-level platforms these trains have changed the electrical system they use while at this station. The remaining systems used are:
In 1949, the Great Eastern Main Line through Stratford was electrified at 1,500 V DC overhead before being converted to 6.25 kVAC 50 Hz overhead in 1960 and converted again to 25 kV in about 1976.[70]
TheChannelsea River is aculverted majortidal stream that is one of theBow Back Rivers that flow into theBow Creek part of theRiver Lea. It flows under Stratford station and rises along the Jubilee line platforms to the south. It was diverted in the 19th century by the Great Eastern Railway and again during construction of the Jubilee line platforms in the 1990s.[citation needed]
There were three primary goods facilities in the Stratford area in the steam age, although the nearbyStratford Works andengine shed generated their own traffic. A short distance to the north of Stratford station (on the line to Cambridge) there were marshalling yards atTemple Mills. There was a small goods yard north of the station on the east side of the line which occupied a constrained site. The mainstay of traffic was domestic coal although shortly before closure in the 1960s the site was used as a reception point for concrete components for the building of tower blocks inNewham.[71]
There was a small depot at Carpenters Road about a quarter of a mile south of Stratford station. Opened in 1900, the depot consisted of four long sidings and primarily dealt with coal and building materials. It was closed on 7 December 1964.[72]
There was a large depot atStratford Market railway station. All of these three facilities were operated by the Great Eastern Railway up until 1923 before being taken over by the London & North Eastern Railway until nationalisation in 1948 when they became part of British Railways Eastern Region.
There was also a goods terminal at Bow operated by theMidland Railway which is still open today mostly for building materials. This yard operated as the terminal for building materials for the adjacent Olympics site.[73]
Between Stratford and Maryland stations Windmill Lane cattle pens existed on the down side of the line whilst four private sidings belonging to Young & Martens were located on the up side.
During the 1960s part of theStratford Works site was converted to the London International Freight Terminal (LIFT) which opened in 1967 and there was a freight liner terminal that operated on the far side of the Stratford railway complex (on the Channelsea Loop line) between 1967 and 1994. The former site is now occupied by the international station and shopping centre.[74][75]
The nearbyStratford International station opened on 30 November 2009 (for preview services only). Since 13 December 2009Southeastern began its full domestic high-speed service betweenLondon St Pancras, directly toEbbsfleet International[76] andAshford in Kent. The Docklands Light Railway 'Stratford International' extension has provided a link between the two stations since 31 August 2011.[77] There is also a walking route between the two stations passing throughWestfield Stratford City Shopping Centre.
Despite Stratford International's name, no international trains call there, andEurostar (currently the only international operator) has no plans to do so. Passengers instead interconnect onhigh-speed trains travelling toLondon St Pancras.
In preparation for the Olympics and theStratford City development, a new north-facing exit and ticket hall has been built. Both existing passenger subways have been extended north to connect with the ticket hall, and the abandoned subway at the eastern end of the station, which formed part of the old station complex, has been reopened and refurbished to allow interchange between platforms 3–12 and the new high-level platforms 1 & 2.[78] A new pedestrian bridge has also been built to connect Stratford shopping centre with the Stratford City development. This also connects the mezzanine-level ticket hall with the northern one. The northern ticket hall and the footbridge opened along withWestfield Stratford City on 13 September 2011.
Stratford bus station is to the south of the station andStratford City bus station is to the north. Both are served by bus services right across London and to theQueen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Stansted Express may call at Stratford in the future via theWest Anglia Main Line, reconnecting the two to each other.[79][may be outdated as of May 2022]
TheHall Farm Curve link could be reinstated allowing a Liverpool Street to Chingford service via Stratford. Designs for new services have been suggested to reduce journey times between Chingford and Stratford to 20 minutes, and high-frequency journeys between Walthamstow Central and Stratford to 12 minutes from the current duration of about 35 minutes.[80][may be outdated as of May 2022]
In the 2020s, plans to rebuild the station are being considered.[60][81] "Passenger movements"[b] have grown by 90 million in 13 years,[81] and this is predicted to rise by 60% by 2041, leading to overcrowding.[60] Three different plans have been outlined, ranging from "modest changes to a major redevelopment of the station".[60][82] Redevelopment would also includetransit-oriented development including new homes and offices.[81]
14 new lifts
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