Stratford station

Stratford is a major multi-level railway station serving the district of Stratford and the mixed-use development known as Stratford City, in the London Borough of Newham, east London. It is served by the London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and is also a National Rail station on the West Anglia Main Line and the Great Eastern Main Line, 4 miles 3 chains (6.5 km) from Liverpool Street.

It is the fifth busiest railway station in Britain, the busiest station in London outside the London station group, and is the busiest station on the London Underground network outside Travelcard Zone 1.

On the London Underground, it is a through-station on the Central line between Mile End and Leyton, and it is the eastern terminus of the Jubilee line following West Ham. On the DLR it is a terminus for some trains and for others it is a through-station between Stratford High Street and Stratford International. On the Overground it is the terminus of the North London Line following Hackney Wick; on the main line it is served by Elizabeth line stopping services between Paddington and Shenfield and by medium- and longer-distance services operated by Greater Anglia to and from numerous destinations in the East of England. There are also limited off-peak services operated by c2c connecting to the London, Tilbury and Southend line to Shoeburyness.

The station was opened in 1839 by the Eastern Counties Railway. Today it is owned by Network Rail and is in Travelcard zone 2/3. To distinguish it from Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire it is sometimes referred to as Stratford (London), or as Stratford Regional to differentiate it from Stratford International, which is some 400 yards (370 m) to the north. Stratford served as a key travel hub for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games held in London. By the most recent National Rail entry and exit figures, it is the 5th busiest station in Britain (previously the busiest).