4th Visit to Stratford station in London on the Great Eastern Main Line, Elizabeth Line, Central Line and North London Line with my last visit being November 2021.

Featuring services from Greater Anglia, Elizabeth Line, C2C, London Underground Central Line and London Overground services

Stratford opened in 1839 by the Eastern Counties Railway with the North Eastern Railway linking from Broxbourne a year later

The London, Tilbury and Southend Railway opened a link at Forest Gate Junction in 1854 with services now run by c2c either when London Fenchurch Street is Closed or all day Weekends mostly used by Shoeburyness services via Laindon.

On the day of filming due to Fenchurch Street being closed meant Southend Central services were diverted into London Liverpool Street which operated via Rainham.

The DLR began running here in July 1987 from Island Gardens from Platform 4 with services to Canary Wharf or Lewisham at Peak times only with the section between Bow Church and Stratford begin single track with the DLR being relocated in 2007.

The Low level platforms they also occupy operated to and from Stratford International which took over the former North London Line route between Stratford and Canning Town in August 2011 providing services to Beckton or Woolwich Arsenal.

London Underground's Central Line opened to Stratford on December 3rd 1946 which nowadays use platforms 3, 3a and Platform 7 which emerge from tunnel and descend back underground after. Platform 3a was an additional platform added in the Westbound direction in September 2010

The station has been redeveloped several times firstly in the 1990s for the arrival of the Jubilee Line Extension from Green Park use Platforms 13, 14 & 15 to and from Stanmore which since June 2011 operated under ATO with the lines main depot located at nearby Stratford Market.

London Overground North London Line since April 2009 with services to and from Richmond and Clapham Junction used by Class 378s which terminate on Platforms 1 and 2 and occasionally use Platform 10a although latter can be used for Freight services waiting to access the Great Eastern Main Line.

West Anglia services from Platform 11 and 12 terminate here mostly from Bishops Stortford which began running here in December 2005 with now a intermediate stop at Lea Bridge reopened in 2016 as well providing a shuttle service between here and Meridian Water which replaced Angel Road in June 2019.

The through lines enable for services to access the GEML as well as empty stock movements to Orient Way Carriage sidings which are located just North of the Eurostar depot at Temple Mills as well as West Anglia Diverts when the line via Hackney Downs is closed.

Eurostar began running to London St Pancras International on November 14th 2007 having moved from London Waterloo although run non stop through.

It wasn't until November 30th 2009 when Stratford International opened which nowadays served by South Eastern Class 395s which they are maintained at Ashford.

Nearby is thr London Stadium opened in July 2012 and the home of the 2012 Olympic Games In London which since August 2016 It's now the home of West Ham United FC having relocated from Upton Park.

Elizabeth Line services operated by Class 345 Aventras however it was only May 2021 when 9 car operation was able to commence on the GEML.

Since November 2022 all Elizabeth Line services except for a few Gidea Park weekday peak hour services now go below ground to London Paddington (Low Level) or Heathrow Terminal 5 which the line burrows underground at Pudding Mill Lane Portal.

The other services to Maidenhead, Heathrow Terminal 4 and Reading originate from Abbey Wood via Canary Wharf which the line from Stratford joins just East of Whitechapel

However full operation of the Elizabeth Line wasn't completed until May 2023

Greater Anglias fleet has changed considerably with the Class 745s now the main intercity fleet displacing the Class 90s between January and March 2020

The Class 720s took over operation of the Class 317s on the West Anglia Main Line in July 2022 and the Class 321s in April 2023. Out of the 133 sets at the time of filming 110 of them were in service.

In November 2021 during the Coronavirus Pandemic Stratford was announced as the busiest station which displaced London Waterloo according to the survey by Office for National Statistics however the next year London Waterloo reclaimed the title of being the busiest station.

Which variety may have changed and with nearby Westfield Shopping Centre, heavy rail traffic and summer time it shouldn't be surprising in some ways it's not hard to see why Stratford is one of the busiest stations in London.

Music used:
JJD - Adventure
Music provided by NCS

Video link:
NoCopyrightSounds
   • JJD - Adventure | Glitch Hop | NCS - ...  

Filmed on Saturday August 19th 2023 on iPhone 14 Pro and edited on iMovie

#greateranglia #stratfordstation #elizabethline #londonoverground #london #class720 #c2c