Yesterday, I took my first trip to Westfield Stratford and the DLR
extension. Here's a few observations:

1. Ground level

The 'ground level' in Westfield is actually at second floor level
relative to the local ground level to the south. When you enter using
the new pedestrian bridge next to Stratford station, you climb up a lot
of stairs to pass over the GEML lines, which are already above ground
level. But you turn out then to be at Westfield ground level, with two
level of 'basement' car park beneath. Also underneath is the DLR line to
Stratford International. If you walk through to the western edge of the
Westfield site, you discover that the ground level of the adjacent
Olympic Park is the same as Westfield, so that also has a significantly
raised ground level. Am I right in thinking that spoil from the HS1
tunnel was used to raise this ground level over the Olympic site?

2. Open 'streets'

Unlike many other shopping malls, Westfield Stratford is not just a
large roofed box with hundreds of shops within the enclosed space. It
also has some open 'streets', which are much more pleasant for people
who don't like loud musak and the other sensory experiences you can
expect in commercial shopping malls. For example, you can sit outside
and enjoy a pleasant pint (of real ale) or a variety of meals, with
splendid views across to the aquatics centre, the rapidly rising
ArcelorMittal Orbit sculpture and the main Olympics stadium in the
background. To my surprise, the pub and restaurants were already working
well, with lots of customers and very efficient service. And if you
don't like shopping, there's a rather splendid Getty images gallery.

3. Walking the route of the DLR.

When the DLR extension enters Stratford station from the south (using
the former NLL platforms), it's at local ground level. But when it
leaves heading north, it appears to be in a cut and cover tunnel. Of
course, it's still at the original ground level, but Westfield bridges
over it.

What's interesting is to walk one of the open curved 'streets' in
Westfield, from M&S to the Cow pub (I think this may also be one of the
main routes for spectators walking to the Olympics site from Stratford
station). If you carry a GPS (as I did), you realise that you're walking
directly over the DLR route.

In other words, the shopping blocks are built to either side of the
line, and don't span it. I wonder if this is to ensure that fires or
problems on the line or the shopping blocks don't directly affect each
other?

If you descend to car park B in the 'basement', you can work out where
the lower level of the car park flanks the line to the north. I suspect
that if you inspected the walls carefully, you might even find
emergency/maintenance access doors to the line from the service
corridor. Similarly, there are a surprisingly large number of utility
access hatches in the 'ground' of the street above; I assume some
provide access to the DLR line beneath, as well as local utility
services (for example, for a waterless electronic 'fountain').

4. Which Stratford station?

It's very obvious, as Paul C has previously stated, that the new
Stratford northern ticket hall is the primary access to Westfield;
Stratford International is much less convenient. So the opening of the
DLR to Stratford International was pretty much irrelevant for the
Westfield opening. I think the DLR extension north of Stratford regional
will come into its own once the thousands of flats in the Athletes'
village are occupied, briefly during the games, but really when they
become normal flats afterwards.