My idea for a Stratford Olympic station?

[ChristopherJ]

After being stuck outside Stratford station for an hour last Saturday, I've been pondering why was not a station proposed on the High Meads Loop to serve the new Olympic Park homes estate north of Stratford.

It'll never happen now since the area has been built over but I guess the station could have been built subterranean if it was still possible. The new station would have been constructed on a very lightly used chord that is only used by freight traffic that avoids Stratford and could have been possible to serve with both West Anglia services on existing infrastructure and - with the addition of a two additional chord lines, the North London Line services of which both could have travelled in a loop around Stratford.

For new home owners in the Olympic Park the nearest stations are Stratford International (HS1 or DLR) - any passengers from Stratford Regional would requite either to use the DLR to International or walk through Westfield Stratford City.

For my idea the proposed station would have been named Stratford Olympic. Apologies for the crappy MS Paint attempt but it's all I have to display my idea.

1) For West Anglia. No modifications required to existing infrastructure.

Tottenham Hale - Temple Mills East Junction - High Meads Loop - (proposed Stratford Olympic station) - High Meads Junction - Channelsea South Junction - Stratford Bay Junction - Stratford Central Junction - Stratford (Regional Platform 11) - Temple Mills East Junction - Tottenham Hale

2) For North London Line. The purple lines would have been the new chords required.

Hackney Wick - Lea Junction - Stratford Bay Junction - Stratford Platform 1 - (join Lea Valley Line at new junction north of station) - Temple Mills East Junction (via new triangle chord to High Meads Loop) - High Meads Loop - (proposed Stratford Olympic station) - High Meads Junction - Lea Junction - Hackney Wick

Thoughts?

 

[OxtedL]

What an astonishing waste of money in an area already well served by public transport.

Exactly the kind of thing the Olympics would have funded had it been suggested.

 

[jopsuk]

more useful would be a station entrance at the north end of the West Anglia platforms- which are almost over the High Speed/International station box.

 

[rail-britain]

If you think that is bonkers, MUF Manchester United Halt will not be open when the football matches are being played at Old Trafford

 

[O L Leigh]

I would refer you back to your thread of a couple of days earlier where you questioned the usage of the High Meads Loop.

It might not get any passenger services, but it sees a fair bit of freight. But the main objection is the one I raised before, which is the number of conflicting moves that would be created (so I will not repeat myself here).

Some of your "improvements" are unfeasible. Firstly there is no need to link P1 & 2 with the Temple Mills line, as the NLL services could simply be run through P12. In addition, such a link would require the demolition and resiting of a large building associated with the Westfield development. But the main objection is turning Temple Mill East Junction into a triangle. The cord would be VERY tight indeed.

But the main objection is why would it be considered necessary anyway. Surely the park homes will be accessible from the Westfield development after the games anyway. Likewise, there is already the DLR link to Stratford International which is closer than the Regional station. But in any case, the distances are hardly vast so I don't really see the justification for a third station on this site.

O L Leigh

 

[DownSouth]

I'm failing to see what a station there (referring to the OP's maps with the pentagon symbol) would be designed to serve.

It's less than 200 metres (i.e. 2-3 minute walk) from the DLR station at Stratford International, less than 800 metres (10min walk) from Stratford (or 200m plus a DLR ride) and right in the middle of the athletes' village which will be a closed zone during the Olympics, so anybody in that area during the Olympics would have to go to the other stations anyway. Even if the athletes' village was not closed to spectators, the street layout means it wouldn't be closer to any competition venues than the International station!

At this point I would describe it as a supply side solution without any demand side justification, a classic issue with rail enthusiasts. But then I read the subsequent posts which point out the impracticality, so it's a supply side dream rather than a supply side solution!