eurostar, channel tunnel, dlr, olympics 2012

It is interesting to see that the local press have picked up on the stupidity of the Stratford International Station (SIS)location.

--- it is soooo far from actual Stratford that the fat Canary-wharfers won't waddle over from International to the real station where the tube links are. What a suuurpise...........

i told the GLA this 3 years ago, but they just said "tuff".

So yet again we reluctantly spend too little public money to come up with a vaguely adequate solution, and thereby ensure that all of the public money spent on the half-hearted project is wasted. Clearly if the SIS is useless then the money spent building it is 100% wasted!

Where is the vision to create something spectacular as the Gateway to 2012 Londinium?

why not........

1. flatten central stratford
2. build a massive station with c.21 platforms on 3 levels
   
3. linked by escalators and lifts
4. all in a massive semi-open hole in the ground - a bit like the new Berlin station (see http://www.hbf-berlin.de/site/berlin__hauptbahnhof/en/rail__concept/rail__concept.html)
   
5. run through it Central Line, DLR, Jubilee Line, Eurostar, Eurotunnel Car loading, Mainline rail from everywhere, commuter lines
6. not forgetting to incorporate a fantabulous bus stazione etc..
   
7. also with a ginormous shopping centre, to one side with loads of built-in car parks far underground.
8. a hub for eurotunnel cars to load ( easing pressure on M2)
9. ditto lorries/coaches
10. fix the bottom end of m11 to link to all this so it's not a massive traffic-jam
11. also fix the A2 so it runs through to here
    
12. bin the link to lovely St. Pancras. All passengers want is to fall out of their commuter strains directly on to the tube for the final bit to where ever they pass the dreary hours until pub-tyme
13. make sure Cross-Rail terminates here
14. upgrade Central line to 4 track so it can cope with the traffic between leytonstone and marble arch. Obviously then providing a limited-stop service on half the line e.g. Stratford, Smile End, L'pool St., Bank, TCR, Ox circ, Marble A........
    
15. obviously all this is financed by the tax-payer building it and only then charging £loads to the businesses that will benefit in the shopping centre, and shopping areas in the station. Also all the restaurants/cafes it will be festooned with
16. it would instantly win an architecture prize for the UK, and the (overpaid) architect who designed it, and plaudits from the users
17. isn't it grate that the Crossrail link has been agonized over for sooooo long it won't be open in tyme for 2012 Olympix. We didn't even rush to start building it the day after we got awarded the albatross

i could go on with brilliant ideas...