Eurostar trains could soon start stopping at Stratford International in east London

Stratford is one of the power players when it comes to London transport hubs. With three Underground lines, the DLR and mainline trains, the east London station is the sixth busiest in the entire UK.

And soon Stratford might get even more services, as plans for Eurostar trains to stop at Stratford International could be revived. Sir Stephen Timms, MP for East Ham, announced this week proposals for the area to have international rail links. 

If you’re not familiar with the area, you might be asking: isn’t it already called Stratford International? Doesn’t it already have trains to other countries? Well, yes and no. 

When the station opened in 2009, there was already a Stratford station. The new one was supposed to connect passengers to Eurostar trains from St Pancras to Paris. That never happened – even though the Eurostar whizzes through the station every time it goes to the continent. It’s not clear why, though part of the reason seems to be that Eurostar was unconvinced that stopping just seven minutes away from St Pancras was worthwhile. 

Stratford International never gave up its moniker, despite the embarrassing lack of trains going anywhere outside the UK. This was partly to avoid people confusing it with the other Stratford station. 

But if Timms gets his way, the name might actually make sense. He’s been angling for international connections to Newham since the 1980s and now argues that stopping at Stratford would take the pressure off St Pancras. 

The platforms are ready, but naysayers are worried about the cost of new immigration stations at Stratford, which would be required if it actually served international passengers. It’s less the cost of building that’s an issue, but rather the cost of running the operation.

If the proposal is successful, it would deliver on one of the promises made to east Londoners in the lead-up to the 2012 and quietly abandoned. The Department for Transport says the decision is up to Eurostar. If the company does agree to the proposal, they’ll likely face tricky questions about why it’s stopping at two stations in London, but not one of the other stations in Kent that also used to have Eurostar connections. 

Eurostar on Time Out

Continental travel without the faff and stress of flying? Count us as fans of Eurostar at Time Out. In recent Eurostar news, did you see that the operator could suspend all services from the UK to the Netherlands in 2025? Plus: Eurostar has confirmed it’s bringing back its Snow Service this winter.

Plus: 11 of the best London to Europe train trips for a great escape.

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