16.05.16
£11.6m development fund allows Lea Bridge station to reopen after 31 years
Trains are running today from Lea Bridge in Leyton, East London, the capital’s latest station, as it reopened ahead of time.
Lea Bridge is situated on the line between Bishops Stortford and Stratford and offers six-minute journeys to Stratford and Tottenham Hale, compared to the 40-minute bus journeys residents took previously.
James Burley, managing director at Abellio Greater Anglia, said: “With half hourly services, seven days a week, in both directions to Stratford and Tottenham Hale, the new station enables local residents to have easy access to rail journeys into and across central London and beyond; up the West Anglia route to Stansted Airport and Cambridge; up the Great Eastern Main Line to Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich and Norwich; and of course to Stratford International Rail Station for Eurostar services to France and Belgium.”
Abellio Greater Anglia services will run every half hour, seven days a week, and the station is expected to serve 350,000 passengers a year by 2031.
Richard Schofield, Network Rail’s route managing director for Anglia, said: “I’m proud that we’ve delivered this fantastic new station that will help boost the local economy by connecting thousands of passengers to two of the capital’s key transport hubs, enabling them to move around London faster and improving links for local businesses.”
Lea Bridge closed in 1985, but has been redeveloped thanks to £5m funding from Waltham Forest Council, £1.1m from the Department for Transport’s New Station Fund and £5.5million from Section 106 contributions, managed by the Stratford Transport Implementation Group.
The station was designed and constructed by Volker FitzPatrick on behalf of the council and is located near the business estates around Argall Avenue, Rigg Approach and Orient Way.
Chris Robbins, leader of Waltham Forest Council, said: “We are very excited to be reopening Lea Bridge Station after 31 years, not just for people already living in the Leyton area, but for the businesses nearby and investors who are interested in this part of our borough.
“There’s huge scope for growth in Leyton and Lea Bridge and we’re already working on a masterplan to look at how we can unlock its potential. The station forms a central part of our vision which will include a mix of desperately needed housing, retail and leisure space, and employment opportunities. We’re already in talks with investors and are in a position where we can choose the kind of investment and projects we think are best for our borough and residents – it’s really exciting.”
(Images c. Network Rail)
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