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.

In message , Recliner
writes

Am I right in thinking that spoil from the HS1
tunnel was used to raise this ground level over the Olympic site?

I don't think so. Most of the tunnel boring was done during the course
of 2003, long before the Olympic bid.

Much of the material used for levelling the Olympic Park came from the
excavation needed for the main stadium, the "ground level" of which is 9
metres below the surrounding ground level.

--
Paul Terry

"Paul Terry" wrote in message

In message , Recliner
writes

Am I right in thinking that spoil from the HS1
tunnel was used to raise this ground level over the Olympic site?

I don't think so. Most of the tunnel boring was done during the course
of 2003, long before the Olympic bid.

Much of the material used for levelling the Olympic Park came from the
excavation needed for the main stadium, the "ground level" of which
is 9 metres below the surrounding ground level.

Yes, I know that the Olympic stadium arena is sunken, but would that
provide enough material to raise the far larger Olympic park area that
surrounds it?

Yes, I know that the Olympic stadium arena is sunken, but would that
provide enough material to raise the far larger Olympic park area that
surrounds it?

ISTM the issue is a bit more complex than that as the area was not flat
to start with. There is a map showing the contours at
http://planning.london2012.com/publi...=JD3JF2SZL0000
but I'm not up to computing if it's enough (or more than enough) for the
final contours. Living near the site I can say they have had some pretty
big temporary hills as they moved stuff around.
--
Robin
PM may be sent to rbw0{at}hotmail{dot}com

"Robin" wrote in message

Yes, I know that the Olympic stadium arena is sunken, but would that
provide enough material to raise the far larger Olympic park area
that surrounds it?

ISTM the issue is a bit more complex than that as the area was not
flat to start with. There is a map showing the contours at
http://planning.london2012.com/publi...=JD3JF2SZL0000
but I'm not up to computing if it's enough (or more than enough) for
the final contours. Living near the site I can say they have had some
pretty big temporary hills as they moved stuff around.

Yes, I've noticed those large 'temporary hills' on my infrequent visits
and wondered if they were to be made permanent, only to notice they'd
disappeared on my next visit.

On this visit, I was surprised just how much construction still seemed
to be going on around the park, given that the venues are all supposed
to be more or less complete. Even the temporary warm-up track on top of
the DBS sidings seems to be almost done (it was still a concrete plant
when I last walked along the Greenway). I assume that some underground
services have to be laid (including the new water main) and the area
landscaped after the major buildings are complete.

On this visit, I was surprised just how much construction still seemed
to be going on around the park, given that the venues are all supposed
to be more or less complete. Even the temporary warm-up track on top
of the DBS sidings seems to be almost done (it was still a concrete
plant when I last walked along the Greenway). I assume that some
underground services have to be laid (including the new water main)
and the area landscaped after the major buildings are complete.

Oh they have an awful lot of other people's money to spend yet - eg on
the coach park, that wonderful bit of "legacy" which means they tarmac
over several playing fields on Hackney Marshes and then remove it all to
reinstate the playing fields.
--
Robin
PM may be sent to rbw0{at}hotmail{dot}com

"Robin" wrote:

On this visit, I was surprised just how much construction still seemed
to be going on around the park, given that the venues are all supposed
to be more or less complete. Even the temporary warm-up track on top
of the DBS sidings seems to be almost done (it was still a concrete
plant when I last walked along the Greenway). I assume that some
underground services have to be laid (including the new water main)
and the area landscaped after the major buildings are complete.

Oh they have an awful lot of other people's money to spend yet - eg on the
coach park, that wonderful bit of "legacy" which means they tarmac over
several playing fields on Hackney Marshes and then remove it all to
reinstate the playing fields.

I was talking to a Hackney Marshes user recently - they weren't all that
fussed about this, as the thinking was that the playing fields in question
would end up with rather better drainage after reinstatement than they have
now. (Worth noting that it's by no means all the playing fields either.)

Recliner wrote on 16 September 2011
12:08:41 ...
Yesterday, I took my first trip to Westfield Stratford and the DLR
extension. Here's a few observations:
[snip]

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.

I'm not sure how you come to that conclusion, but it's entirely wrong.
The DLR tunnel curves sharply left on leaving platforms 16/17, passing
under M&S, after which it's not under the shopping centre. The line
emerges from the tunnel, facing west, just north of the Aquatics Centre.
At that point it's adjacent to the Overground NLL tracks. You can see
it at the top of the photo at
http://www.london2012.com/photos/201...ics-centre.php
, also on Google maps satellite view.

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?

See above. The curved street is nowhere near the DLR.

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.

The curved wall of the car park does indeed follow the DLR tunnel, but
the DLR is to the *south* of the car park. Have a look at
http://uk.westfield.com/stratfordcit...retailer=45219
and click on Lower Ground Floor. You can see the DLR tunnel next to the
green car park. (Confusingly, the top of the map faces north-west.)

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').

What surprised me about the DLR tunnel was the lavish provision for
emergency evacuations. We're familiar now with all new tunnels having a
walkway at the side, but this double track tunnel has a proper (albeit
narrow) platform on each side, with a continuous barrier at the back
(clear of the tunnel wall) that incorporates lighting, plus overhead
lighting too.

I'm wondering whether this is some sort of provision to handle
overcrowding during the Olympics, though I don't quite see how it would
work.
--
Richard J.
(to email me, swap 'uk' and 'yon' in address)

For most visitors certainly but not for those who arrive via DLR. If you are already on the DLR, it makes sense to stay on and alight at Stratford International and walk through the "big" station to enter the Westfield complex at that same level. That way the only steps are those from the DLR platforms . . . . and you miss the crush.

On Fri, 16 Sep 2011, Paul Corfield wrote:

On Fri, 16 Sep 2011 16:53:15 +0100, "Richard J."
wrote:

I'm wondering whether this is some sort of provision to handle
overcrowding during the Olympics, though I don't quite see how it would
work.

They're the special VIP evacuation platforms. There are secret chutes
that run from the Olympic Stadium down to the DLR tunnel. A rocket
powered evacuation train can be there within minutes and can then hurtle
the VIPs away in seconds via the current invisible secret DLR to
National Rail connection ;-))

Where they will immediately get stuck in the Liverpool Street station
throat and face the apocalypse without even the comfort of a Delice de
France bacon croissant.

tom

--
Come with me, and we'll go dreaming.