Chapter 9 Route Window C8 Whitechapel station Transport for London WHITECHAPEL STATION Pedley Street Worksite A temporary construction shaft and worksite will be situated at the 9 Route Window C8 eastern end of Pedley Street near the junction with Vallance Road in an area comprising mainly warehousing, storage and retail Whitechapel station buildings. Pedley Street to Mile A temporary conveyor to carry excavated material, will be End (Devonshire assembled linking Pedley Street to Mile End (Devonshire Street) Street) sidings Sidings (see Route Window C8A) where excavated material will be Conveyor Worksite loaded onto trains. Transport 9.4 The construction of the Whitechapel Station and associated infrastructure will take place from for London two or three sites, depending on which ticket hall scenario is implemented: District Line Worksite Required for scenarios 1 and 2 only. A new western ticket hall will be provided over the District line east of Court Street underneath Durward Street. Durward Street Required for all three scenarios. Worksite This worksite is required facilitate construction of a below ground Whitechapel station interchange concourse (providing access to East London line platforms) escape, EIP and ventilation equipment at the Introduction west end of the Crossrail platforms. The worksite will be situated 9.1 In this route window, which lies entirely within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, the within an area of land known as Essex Wharf and will require the Crossrail line runs completely in tunnel approximately parallel with and south of the Great demolition and subsequent reinstatement of the caretakers property Eastern Main Line (GEML), before swinging south eastwards beyond Whitechapel Underground at Swanlea School. station. The permanent works will consist of: Sainsbury’s Car Park Required for all three scenarios. • a shaft in Hanbury Street; Worksite Scenario 1 Ventilation, escape and EIP infrastructure will be • a new station at Whitechapel with an interchange concourse beneath Durward Street and constructed, to the west of Cambridge Heath Road at the junction shaft structures at Cambridge Heath Road and Durward Street, all integated with the station. with Whitechapel Road. • running tunnels, most of which are bored from Hanbury Street. Scenarios 2 and 3 A new eastern ticket hall will be provided, 9.2 Crossrail will provide a new fully accessible station, providing easy interchange with existing including the same ventilation, escape and EIP infrastructure, to the transport services, enhancing public transport capacity to Whitechapel and more generally into west of Cambridge Heath Road at the junction with Whitechapel the City as a whole. New and faster direct travel opportunities will be available from the west Road. The eastern end of the Crossrail platforms would be accessed (including Heathrow, Ealing, Slough and the West End) and from the east (including Docklands from this street level ticket hall via a single flight of escalators. and many parts of the Thames Gateway region). Table 9.2 gives typical journey time 9.5 Three scenarios were assessed for the provision of ticket halls at Whitechapel station which are improvements. outlined in paragraph 9.28. 9.3 There will be three worksites associated with the construction of the Hanbury Street shaft and the 9.6 The maps provided at the end of this chapter present the main features of the route window, running tunnels: construction lorry routes assessed, existing facilities in the vicinity of Whitechapel station and Hanbury Street A shaft will be constructed at the junction of Hanbury Street, future transport linkages. Worksite Spelman Street and Princelet Street. This shaft will be connected via a temporary tunnel under Spital Street to a temporary shaft at Pedley Baseline conditions Street. 9.7 The main activities within this route window lie within the area bounded by Commercial Street, the Great Eastern Main Line/Central Line, Cambridge Heath Road and Whitechapel Road. C8 page 3 ROUTE WINDOW C8 Whilst being primarily residential in nature, the area contains significant commercial and Pedley Street area community elements. 9.16 The Pedley Street worksite lies in a quiet area between Buxton Street and the Great Eastern Main 9.8 Commercial Street (A1202) forms part of the Transport for London Road Network, as does Line which contains Allen Gardens and the Spitalfields Community Farm. Access to the area is Whitechapel Road. Whitechapel Road is a heavily trafficked radial route which is part of the currently from Pedley Street via Brick Lane and Fleet Street Hill, Bratley Street and part of A11, linking the City of London to north-east London. Whitechapel Road carries three bus Weaver Street are closed to traffic. Weaver House and the recent development at Fakruddin Street routes. The area is also served by Aldgate, Shoreditch, Bethnal Green and Whitechapel are the only residential developments. Underground Stations, as well as Bethnal Green main line. 9.17 The proposed East London Line Extension will traverse this area from the Shoreditch station area 9.9 Vallance Road (B108) is the main local distributor road, providing a north-south link across the across the Spitalfield Communty Farm and to the south of the Fakruddin Street development, Great Eastern Main Line. entering a tunnel portal just west of Vallance Road. As part of the proposed East London Line works, an access road has been constructed between the Fakruddin Street development and the 9.10 Brick Lane (B134) also provides a one way north-bound link and has recently been the subject of Great Eastern Main Line connecting Vallance Road with the eastern end of Pedley Street. This is streetscape improvements, which include traffic calming. Brick Lane and the adjoining side currently closed to traffic, although the eastern end is used for access to businesses occupying the streets north of Shoreditch station are closed to traffic on Sundays for a street market. arches under the GEML. 9.11 Worksites and the associated lorry routes will be confined to the area east of Brick Lane, as 9.18 The area between Vallance Road and Cambridge Heath Road is similar but a higher proportion of agreed with the Council. land is in non-residential uses including the commercial uses on Whitechapel Road, Sainsburys supermarket, Swanlea School and open space. The road network within the area is fragmented, Hanbury Street area with access primarily off the north-south routes- Vallance Road, Cambridge Road and Brady 9.12 The area between Brick Lane and Vallance Road south of Buxton Street contains a network of Street. minor streets, primarily residential in nature and the area is densely populated. Over the last decade, a number of substantial sites in the area have redeveloped for residential use and this Whitechapel station trend is continuing. This has particularly been the case along the Greatorex Street/Hanbury Street 9.19 Whitechapel Underground station is located on the north side of Whitechapel Road between corridor with redevelopment of light industrial/commercial sites. Vallance Road and Brady Street, in a busy commercial area opposite the Royal London Hospital. 9.13 The main non-residential uses in the area are the three schools on Buxton Street, Deal Street and There is a wide footway on the north side of Whitechapel Road outside the London Underground Vallance Road and other smaller community uses, although light industrial and commercial uses station entrance, which is occupied by a popular street market. It is currently served by the still dominate the area west of Spital Street, including the Hanbury Street worksite itself. District, Hammersmith and City and East London lines. The station is served by the bus routes on Opposite the Hanbury Street worksite is a cash and carry warehouse, which generates both lorry both Whitechapel Road and on Vallance Road. and light goods vehicle traffic. Hanbury Street and Princelet Street west of the worksite are 9.20 The East London Line Project (formerly known as ELLX) will extend and upgrade the existing narrow with smaller scale commercial and retail uses. (London Underground Limited) East London Line, converting it into a new metro-style (National 9.14 Traffic management measures such as one-way streets, road closures, speed humps and a Rail) train service. And will provide new rail links from Whitechapel to both north and south controlled parking zone have been introduced to preventing through traffic entering the area, London. reduce traffic speeds, improve safety and enhance the residential environment. Waiting and 9.21 The City of London and the commencement of the congestion charging zone is located half a loading on Tower Hamlets administered roads is controlled throughout the local area. mile to the west of the existing station entrance. 9.15 A controlled parking zone operates in the area bounded by Quaker Street and Buxton Street in the 9.22 Whitechapel station provides little in the way of formal facilities for vehicular access. There is no north, Spital Street, Hanbury Street, Greatorex Street to the east, Whitechapel Road and defined area for dropping off passengers such as a station forecourt. Durward Street provides a Whitechapel High Street to the south and the Borough boundary with the London Borough of potential informal kiss-and-ride facility. From Durward Street, passengers can cross one of two Hackney which is in operation 0800 to 1900 Monday to Friday and 0830 to 1400 Sunday. To the pedestrian bridges that access Whitechapel Road from Court Street and Woods Buildings. east, the controlled parking zone waiting restrictions typically apply between 0830 and 1730 However Durward Street is a no through road and the station entrance is approximately a hours, Monday to Saturday. minute’s walk away. C8 page 4 WHITECHAPEL STATION Figure 9.1 Whitechapel station, Whitechapel Road entrance Figure 9.2: Vallance Road and the widening reservation 9.23 Pedestrian facilities in the area are adequate.