Six years after it was first proposed, the 186-year-old Lea Bridge station is finally getting a much-needed upgrade.
The station sits on the Greater Anglia line between Tottenham Hale and Stratford, and it reopened after 31 years out of action nearly a decade ago. It actually dates all the way back to 1840 but closed in 1985 after falling into disrepair.
Though it has been back up and running since 2016, Lea Bridge still only has a small un-gated entrance on a side street and no ticket office. Locals have long been campaigning for the station to get upgrades that meet the demands on modern city life. And this summer, work will finally get started to build a full ticket office at the station and provide a larger entrance on the main road.
Plans for the station’s upgrade were initially announced in 2020, and work was expected to begin in 2021. Of course, lockdown put everything on hold for a couple of years, but then plans were officially approved in 2023. The new design will make the station bigger, brighter and easier to navigate – especially for those with limited mobility.
Besides the larger ticket hall, there’ll be provision for automatic ticket gate lines, a retail unit on the ground floor and a cycle hub in the basement with space for up to 130 bikes. It’ll be accessible via the station concourse and will connect to the Network Rail’s existing footbridge.
The expansion will support the area’s growing housing development. Waltham Forest Council has confirmed that 387 homes are planned for the area around the station, all of which will be designated ‘affordable’ homes. There’ll also be new shops and green spaces in the area.
Construction at Lea Bridge station will begin this summer and is expected to last into 2027.
ICYMI: East London is getting a brand new train station.
Plus: Plans have been approved for a cool new bridge in southeast London.
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