STRATFORD CITY

A total of £17 billion will be invested in public transport within the Lower Lea Valley in the lead up to 2012. This will deliver new and improved transport infrastructure that is set to make Stratford City one of the best connected places in the UK.

With an entrance adjacent to Westfield Stratford City’s John Lewis department store, the new International Station will promote Stratford as Britain’s front door to the continent. Eurostar services will place it within two hours reach of Paris and Brussels, while High Speed 1 will provide local connections to St Pancras (7 minutes) and Ebbsfleet (10 minutes). A new DLR station adjacent to Stratford International will also provide additional connections to the Docklands (10 mins), City Airport (17 minutes) and beyond.

Already a major interchange between regional services and the Central and Jubilee Underground lines, the station will be expanded in the lead up to 2012, including a new Northern Ticket Hall located beneath Westfield Stratford City’s second anchor, Marks & Spencer. This will ensure that Stratford Regional is able to service both existing residents and those who will visit, work and live in the new Stratford City.

Underground services provide rapid access to the City (8 minutes), Docklands (12 minutes) and West End (20 minutes), while National Rail connects Stratford with Liverpool Street, Kent, Essex and East Anglia. When it opens in 2017, Crossrail will further enhance Stratford’s connectivity to both the east and west (including the City, West End and Heathrow), with 24 1,500 seat trains per hour in each direction.

Stratford City is well served by the road networks through East London linking the A12, A11 and A13 to the M25 and M11, and more than 100 junction improvements connected with the Olympic Park and Stratford City developments will improve car and bus access in the lead up to 2012.

Shoppers will have access 5,000 dedicated parking spaces, with additional spaces allocated for residents, office workers and hotel guests. The city centre will also include a taxi-only route, drop-off points within the retail quarter and at Stratford International Station, and a new regional bus interchange. All buses will connect to both the regional and international stations, with bus stops at intervals along these routes.

Stratford City has been designed with cyclists and pedestrians in mind. The main high street will provide direct pedestrian access to public transport hubs and across the city centre. Most of the retail and entertainment quarter will be pedestrian only access, with footways and off-street cycle routes provided on primary roads.

The Town Centre Link is a pedestrian and cycle bridge that will stretch over the rail tracks to connect Stratford City with Meridian Square, Stratford Regional Station and the existing town centre. Lighting will play a key role in its design, enhancing the architecture and providing a safe and secure environment. The Town Centre Link will be accessible at both ends via lifts, escalators and steps, and glass panels along its length will provide protection from the elements along with fantastic new views of East London, the site of the Games and the Lower Lea Valley.