A rail station which could help revitalise a rundown area will be re-opened after 30 years before the end of 2014.

 

Lea Bridge station in Lea Bridge Road, Walthamstow, will be on a line connecting Stratford and Tottenham Hale, with the journey time to those destinations cut to just 12 minutes.

 

The station, located near Layton Marshes on the border between Walthamstow and Leyton, is in one of the borough's poorest areas.

And Waltham Forest Council, which is covering most of the £6.5 million cost of the project, said it could serve as a catalyst for regeneration, including thousands of new homes.

The Chingford Line Users Association (CLUA) campaigns for improved services across the borough and has been lobbying for the station to re-open.

 

Treasurer Roger Gillam said: "It’s fantastic news. We’re obviously absolutely delighted.

"It will bring many benefits for the area. The economy should get better round there and there will be easier access to jobs because of the faster journey times."

 

Now CLUA is to focus its efforts on bringing the Hall Farm Curve line back into use.

It has proposed stations at Chingford Hatch and Forest Road in Walthamstow to improve the Chingford to Liverpool Street line.