Published on: Wednesday, 11 May 2016
Last updated: Wednesday, 5 October 2016
Leyton’s Lea BridgeStation is re-opening to passengers on 16 May 2016 after 31 years of closure.
The station, which willbe managed by Abellio Greater Anglia, will provide passengerswith direct links to both Stratford and Tottenham Hale and journey times offive minutes apiece. Services will run on a half hourly basis, seven days aweek.
Stratford is the nearesthigh-speed station to central London, connecting to services going to Europe,and Tottenham Hale provides easy and fast connections to Stansted Airport,meaning the new station will open the western part of Waltham Forest up to furthercommercial opportunities in London and beyond.
The scheme to re-openthe station has been funded with a mixture of £5million from Waltham ForestCouncil capital funding, £1.1million from the Department for Transport’s NewStations Fund and £5.5million from Section 106 contributions (managed by theStratford Transport Implementation Group).
The new station isexpected to be used by 352,000 passengers a year by 2031. When it opens it willhave two new platforms, a new footbridge and lifts, station canopy, ticketvending machines, Oyster readers, waiting shelters and help points.
JamieBurles, Managing Director, Abellio Greater Anglia, said: "We're lookingforward to the opening of the new station at Lea Bridge. It will make our railnetwork more accessible and convenient to thousands of existing and potentialrail passengers. The development of thestation has been a great partnership project between the London Borough ofWaltham Forest, Abellio Greater Anglia, Network Rail and the Department forTransport.
Withhalf hourly services, seven days a week, in both directions to Stratford andTottenham Hale, the new station enables local residents to have easy access torail journeys into and across central London and beyond; up the West Angliaroute to Stansted Airport and Cambridge; up the Great Eastern Main Line toChelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich and Norwich; and of course to Stratford InternationalRail Station for Eurostar services to France and Belgium. We hope the station will prove to be a greatsuccess."
Chris Robbins, Leader ofWaltham Forest Council said : “Lea Bridge Station will really help open Leytonup for growth, giving the area better and faster links to some of London’scrucial transport hubs, and making it a more attractive prospect fordevelopers, businesses and residents.
For years it’s been a projectwe have committed to making happen, and going forward it will form thecentrepiece of wider plans to rejuvenate the area and create a new Leytonvillage, spurring even more regeneration and change.”
The first full day’sservice at Lea Bridge Station will start just after 6am on the morning ofMonday 16 May 2016, although limited services are expected to be running fromapproximately 8pm on Sunday 15 May. Services through the station will runapproximately every 30 minutes. To find out more about station facilities andtrain times, visit www.nationalrail.co.uk.
The official opening of thenew Lea Bridge Station will take place with a special ceremony from 9.30am onMonday 16 May. Members of the media are welcome to attend.