Stratford, London

**Stratford** is an area and ward in London Borough of Newham in East London.

## History

The late 20th Century was a period of severe economic decline, eventually reversed by regeneration associated with the 2012 Summer Olympics, for which Stratford's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park was the principal venue and later with West Ham United F.C. and British Athletics moving to the London Stadium.

Stratford is now East London's primary retail, cultural and leisure centre after Romford. It has also become the second most significant (after Canary Wharf) business location in the east of the capital. It is not to be confused with Shakespeare's birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon.

There are several stations - Stratford Station and Stratford International Station, and many buses serve the area.

One of the key places for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

## Transport

Stratford has significant and historical transport hub, and today is well served by bus routes, and a number of railway stations and cycle lanes, as well by omnibuses and coaches in the 19th century. Stratford overall is served by six stations, covering a large catchment area.

### Rail

Stratford is a major National Rail interchange on the Great Eastern Main Line, North London Line and Lea Valley Lines. According to 2017-18 figures, 40.08 million passengers entered or exited the station, making it the UK's 7th busiest station. The station is managed by TfL Rail. The station is served by several rail operators. Greater Anglia and TfL Rail both run services out of London Liverpool Street in the City of London to Stratford. TfL Rail trains travel east as far as Shenfield in Essex, via Romford. Greater Anglia trains terminate at destinations in East Anglia, including Southend Victoria, Colchester Town, Harwich, Ipswich and Norwich. Trains run directly to London Southend Airport from Stratford. Greater Anglia trains also use Lea Valley Lines towards Tottenham Hale and Bishop's Stortford. London Overground services from Stratford follow the North London Line towards Highbury & Islington, travelling through Gospel Oak and Willesden Junction towards Richmond or Clapham Junction.

Stratford International, to the northwest, is on the High Speed 1 line from St Pancras International to Kent, and is served by Southeastern domestic high speed services. The International and Regional stations are linked by a branch of the Docklands Light Railway – opened in August 2011.

The eastern part of Stratford town centre is served by Maryland railway station. The Liverpool Street-Shenfield via Ilford and Romford service known as the *Shenfield Metro* service and runs every 10 minutes and is operated by TfL Rail. This service also calls at Stratford and was incorporated into the Crossrail service in 2017.

### London Underground and DLR

London Underground's Central and Jubilee lines both serve Stratford, linking it to Oxford Street, Wembley Stadium, Epping and Canary Wharf. The Jubilee line was extended to Stratford in 1999. The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) was extended to Stratford in 1987, and to Stratford International in 2011, with services to Poplar, Canary Wharf, Lewisham, London City Airport, the Excel Centre, Beckton and Woolwich Arsenal.

Pudding Mill Lane is in the south of the Olympic Park (though it closed during the Olympics for safety reasons due to its size) and west of Stratford town centre and normally provides transport to the local factories. Served by the Docklands Light Railway to Stratford, Poplar and Canary Wharf, it was re-sited south as part of the Crossrail project. Also is Stratford High Street, another DLR-only station to the south of Stratford *Regional*, situated on the site of the former Stratford Market railway station.

### Bus and Coach

Stratford bus station is adjacent to Stratford *Regional* and the Stratford Centre, served by London Buses.

London Buses travel to destinations in the West and East End, northeast and south London, served by London Bus routes 69, 86, 104, 158, 238, 241, 257, 262, 276, 308, 425, 473, D8 and by the 25 and N8 to Central London.

A newer bus station, Stratford City bus station, opened in 2011 as part of the Westfield Stratford City regeneration project to the north of Stratford *Regional*. London Bus routes 97, 241, 308, 339, 388, 108 and N205 call here. National Express run coaches from Stratford City bus station to Stansted Airport and destinations in East Anglia. Megabus coaches also call at Stratford City bus station with a direct service to Norwich.

### Road

Stratford is connected to the National Road Network by several major routes.

The A12 passes through Stratford between Bow and Leyton, carrying eastbound traffic from London towards the North Circular, the M25, the M11 and East Anglia. The A11 (Bow Road) meets the A12 at the Bow Interchange to Stratford's southwest. The A11 carries traffic between the City and Stratford, whilst the A12 to the south carries traffic to the A13 and Canary Wharf. Transport for London (TfL) are responsible for the A11 and A12 roads.

Stratford High Street is numbered the A118, which runs from Bow Interchange to Ilford and Romford. The A112 is a north-south route through Stratford, which ultimately terminates near Chingford in the north (via Leyton and Walthamstow) and London City Airport in the south.

All roads in Stratford are part of London's Low Emission Zone.

#### Air Quality

Newham Council partake in roadside pollution monitoring. In a 2018 report, Leytonstone Road in Stratford recorded the highest percentage of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) in roadside air of all monitoring sites in Newham, with an annual mean of 60%. Temple Mills Lane in Stratford recorded an annual mean of 40%. It is thought that Nitrogen Dioxide is linked to respiratory conditions, can decrease lung function and increase response to allergens.

### Cycling

Stratford is linked to London's cycle network, with cycling infrastructure provided by both Transport for London (TfL) and Newham Council.

The eastern terminus of Cycle Superhighway 2 (CS2) is on Stratford High Street. CS2 follows Stratford High Street southwest on segregated cycle track towards Bow Interchange. Signal controls at Bow Interchange give priority to cyclists, who can also use cycle lanes to cross the junction. CS2 then follows Bow Road (the A11) to Aldgate on cycle track. CS2 was the first fully segregated Cycle Superhighway to open in London.

Quietway 6 passes through the north of Stratford between Victoria Park and Wanstead, running non-stop to Barkingside in the northeast. Quietway 22 runs from Victoria Park, over Stratford High Street (CS2), towards Plaistow and Beckton. Quietways are signposted routes on quieter roads.

National Cycle Route 1 (NCN1) skirts around Stratford on its northwestern edge, running along the Hertford Union Canal and Lee Navigation towpaths. NCN1 is a long cycle route between Dover, Kent, and the Shetland Islands, running in north London non-stop between the Greenwich Foot Tunnel and Waltham Abbey. Cycling is permitted on the Hertford Union Canal and Lee Navigation towpaths around Stratford, which are shared-use paths maintained by the Canal and River Trust.

The Santander Cycles sharing scheme operates in Stratford.

Between 2010 and 2014, the A118 (Stratford High Street) saw 153 pedal cycle casualties, constituting a 31% share of cycle casualties in Newham. By 2016, however, there were only 79 serious cyclist injuries across the whole borough, with no deaths. The Borough has launched a "Cycling Strategy" to improve cycling provisions between 2018 and 2025.

## References

1. ↑ Top 10 Stations in Great Britain (Image PNG). *Office of Rail & Road*. Archived from the original on April 7, 2019.
2. ↑ You must specify ***archiveurl =***  and ***archivedate =***  when using {{cite web}}."National Rail Enquiries - Station facilities for Stratford (London)". National Rail. Archived from the original on 20210228120306.
3. ↑ "Tube and Rail". Transport for London (TfL).
4. ↑ You must specify ***archiveurl =***  and ***archivedate =***  when using {{cite web}}.Mansfield, Ian (16 April 2014). "Last chance to use Pudding Mill Lane DLR station before it closes". IanVisits. Archived from the original on 20140418212811.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Buses from Stratford (PDF). National Rail. Archived from the original on April 7, 2019.
6. ↑ "London Stratford Coach Stop | National Express". National Express.
7. ↑ "National Express Timetables Route List". National Express.
8. ↑ Stratford (en). uk.megabus.com. Archived from the original on April 7, 2019. Retrieved on 2019-04-07.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "OpenStreetMap" (en). *OpenStreetMap*.
10. ↑ TFL Base Map (PDF). Transport for London (TfL). Archived from the original on February 19, 2018.
11. ↑ "Driving in London" (en). Transport for London.
12. ↑ Air Quality Annual Status Report for 2017. Archived from the original on April 7, 2019.
13. ↑ "Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) Pollution - Health Issues - Icopal".
14. ↑ You must specify ***archiveurl =***  and ***archivedate =***  when using {{cite web}}."Cycle Superhighway 2: Stratford to Aldgate" (PDF). Transport for London (TfL). Archived from the original on 20181028151218.
15. ↑ Mayor opens first fully-segregated Barclays Cycle Superhighway (en). *London City Hall* (2013-11-06). Archived from the original on July 14, 2017. Retrieved on 2019-04-07.
16. ↑ You must specify ***archiveurl =***  and ***archivedate =***  when using {{cite web}}."Quietway 6: Victoria Park to Barkingside" (PDF). Transport for London (TfL). Archived from the original on 20181028151218.
17. ↑ You must specify ***archiveurl =***  and ***archivedate =***  when using {{cite web}}."Quietway 22: Victoria Park to Newham Way via the Greenway". Transport for London (TfL). Archived from the original on 20181028151218.
18. ↑ "Route 1 - Map" (en). Sustrans.
19. ↑ Canal cycling routes | Canal & River Trust (en). Archived from the original on April 6, 2019.
20. ↑ "London | Santander Cycles".
21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 You must specify ***archiveurl =***  and ***archivedate =***  when using {{cite web}}."London Borough of Newham - Cycling Strategy 2017/18-2024/25". *London Borough of Newham*. Archived from the original on 20181028151218.