Prime Minister Andy Burnham has backed plans for international trains to stop at Stratford International Station in east London, saying the move could boost investment in the area and beyond.
Writing in The Standard, Burnham outlined hopes that cross-Channel trains halting at the station would bring new opportunities to a part of the capital that still faces significant deprivation.
Transformation since the Olympics
Burnham said: “The transformation since the Olympics has been extraordinary. But alongside that success are communities facing some of the deepest deprivation - not just in London, but nationally.”
The former Mayor of Greater Manchester added: “There’s so much more we could be doing to bring in opportunities and investment to that area, especially through Stratford International, which - despite its name - has never had an international train stop there. So, through No10 North, we’re going to look at opening up international rail routes that will bring in more investment.”
Government backing and plans
In the Budget, Chancellor John Healey backed a Business Rate Retention Zone for east London to raise funds for Mayor Sadiq Khan’s £20 million plan to open up Stratford International Station to trains to and from France.
The Mayor of London said: “After lobbying on the issue for many years, I’m delighted that the Government will help us to bring cross-Channel rail services to Stratford International – making this station truly international for the first time. It will open up huge opportunities for jobs, investment and tourism.”
Potential services and support
Stratford International is effectively a mothballed station, with two platforms that could be used for rail services to the Continent. Under the City Hall proposals, cross-Channel services could be stopping in east London within four years, with one in three international trains potentially halting at Stratford while St Pancras International remains the capital’s terminal station for these services.
Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin is exploring stopping services in east London as it seeks to take on Eurostar. The proposed second stop is supported by businesses including Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, which operates the Westfield shopping complexes in east and west London.
Hopes have risen of a Stratford stop after Virgin was given track access for new services between London and Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam from 2030. The rail regulator, the Office of Rail and Road, has given approval for the company to operate up to 20 new daily return services through the Channel Tunnel. The agreement covers the period between October 1 2030 and December 31 2040 and relates to tracks owned and run by London St Pancras High Speed.
East Ham MP Sir Stephen Timms first raised the possibility of international trains stopping at Stratford when he was chairman of Newham planning committee in the late 1980s. The welfare minister has stepped up his calls in recent years as St Pancras International has struggled to cope with passenger numbers.
