Lea Bridge Station in Leyton, east London, has re-opened after 31 years thanks to a £12m development fund.
Network Rail said the new station will allow residents to reach two of London’s key transport hubs – Stratford and Tottenham Hale – in six minutes, compared with bus journeys of around 40 minutes.
The station is expected to serve over 350,000 passengers a year by 2031 and it is hoped that its links into London will help the economic growth of the area.
A train pulls in at the new station - to great interest
The project was funded with £5m from Waltham Forest Council, £1.1m from the Department for Transport’s New Stations Fund and £5.5m from Section 106 contributions, managed by the Stratford Transport Implementation Group.
Council leader Chris Robbins said: ‘We are very excited to be re-opening 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.
He added: ‘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.’
Network Rail managed the design and construction of the station with engineering and construction company VolkerFitzpatrick on behalf of Waltham Forest Council.
Although Network Rail described the station as ‘London’s newest’, there was previously a rail station on the site, which closed in 1985.
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