London’s newest station Meridian Water in Enfield, was opened today by Rt Honourable Chris Grayling MP Secretary of State for Transport and Heidi Alexander, Deputy Mayor of London for Transport.
Representatives from Network Rail, Enfield and Haringey councils and Greater Anglia, who will manage the new station, also joined the official opening.
Meridian Water is at the heart of a £6bn development of the area being led by Enfield Council which will see 10,000 new homes and the creation of thousands of jobs. It replaces the existing Angel Road station providing improved accessibility for passengers with stairs and lifts providing step-free access across the railway and to the enclosed concourse that features a bespoke golden panel design.
The station is part of the Lee Valley Rail Programme and has been delivered by Network Rail and its principal contractor, VolkerFitzpatrick. A package of upgrades to this part of the West Anglia line that runs from Stratford to Meridian Water, include:
• 5.5km of new track to enable two more trains per hour to run between Stratford and Meridian Water from this September.
• Improvements at Tottenham Hale station including a new platform and a new accessible footbridge with lifts and an escalator, reducing congestion around the station.
• Upgrades at Northumberland Park station, including building an additional platform and new step-free footbridge across the railway for passengers and the community.
•Refurbishing or replacing several rail bridges, upgrading signals, installing power cables and additional overhead power lines.
Chris Grayling, Secretary of State for Transport, said: “As part of our commitment to modernise the rail network, I am delighted to announce the opening of the new, state of the art Meridian Water station.
“By working closely with Enfield Council and Network Rail, we have provided significant investment to improve this vital rail link, which will allow more people access to the railway and facilitate the council’s plans to increase housing in the area.”
Heidi Alexander, Deputy Mayor of London for Transport, said: “The Lee Valley Rail Programme is an excellent example of how investing in transport directly supports regeneration and growth.
“I’m delighted that the GLA and TfL have worked alongside Network Rail and other organisations to fund this important improvement to the West Anglia line, including the new Meridian Water station. These improvements to the transport network will make this part of London an even more appealing place to live, work and visit.”
Meliha Duymaz, Network Rail’s route managing director for Anglia, said: “The delivery of the Lee Valley Rail Programme is the culmination of years of hard work. Reducing congestion at busy stations and building a brand new one for the people of Enfield will transform journeys as our network gets busier.
“This collaborative programme shows how the rail industry can work together with external partners to fund and deliver rail upgrades that will not only benefit passengers by improving their travelling experience but also benefit the communities where they live through regeneration.”
Cllr Nesil Caliskan, The Leader of Enfield Council, said: “Over the last year Meridian Water project has gathered real pace and many of the elements of this £6bn project have coming together.
“With the station now open and service improvements to follow we are forging ahead with this scheme, to deliver thousands of new homes and jobs for local people.
“We have also selected a developer to deliver the first phase of homes and workspaces with the first completions due in 2022 and we have already started work on the second phase of the development which will be 100 per cent affordable housing.
“There will also be fantastic opportunities for local people and businesses to locate their enterprises on excellent sites within Meridian Water which are not due to be developed as part of the wider scheme for a number of years.
“The opening of the station – which has been project managed and funded by Enfield Council underpins the whole development and we are very pleased that it will act as a springboard to allow the whole of the project to thrive as well as massively benefiting the existing population of Angel Edmonton.”
Martin Moran, Greater Anglia’s Commercial and Customer Service Director, said: “We are very pleased to welcome passengers to Meridian Water station. North London is a region full of potential. It’s an area deserving of investment and improved transport connectivity for the people who live and work there.
“The station provides the area with better rail options, initially with weekday peak time direct trains running south to Stratford, enabling connections to London Liverpool Street, and north to Bishops Stortford, for connections to Stansted Airport and Cambridge.
“From September 2019 there will be a much better service, including at weekends, as the third track provides the additional capacity that enables us to operate two trains per hour throughout the day between Meridian Water and Stratford.
“We are committed to improving rail travel for all customers. By continuing to work in partnership with local authorities, the London Local Enterprise Partnership and Network Rail and other key stakeholders, we believe Meridian Water will have a positive impact. Further benefits will also follow with the introduction of our entire fleet of new trains, which are due to be rolled out across our network, including on Meridian Water services, by the end of 2020.”
Northumberland Park has a new platform served by the third track. An accessible footbridge with ramps has also been constructed and opened to facilitate a safe place for passengers to wait for their trains particularly during event days at the nearby stadium on White Hart Lane. The ramps provide an accessible route across the railway for wheelchair users, bicycles and buggies while a lift will be available to serve the new island platform.
Tottenham Hale station is a busy interchange between the main line services and the Victoria Line. For that reason, we have built a new accessible footbridge with stairs, lifts and an escalator to ease congestion and provide better passenger flow around the station. A new platform has also been constructed and will serve the additional services using the new track.
Representing a new model for funding, the Lee Valley Rail programme was funded by several third parties and public sector bodies, including the UK Government, the Mayor of London, the London Economic Action Partnership (now known as “LEAP”), Transport for London, and Enfield and Haringey Councils.
The funding partners and Network Rail worked together to deliver benefits in the north London corridor which will improve rail services and maximise economic growth, jobs and housing opportunities.
