Work is underway on a £25 million scheme for east London’s new Hackney Wick Overground station complex with major improvements in the surrounding streets.

East London Advertiser: The new Hackney Wick station complexThe new Hackney Wick station complex (Image: London Legacy Development Corporation)

Architects have drawn on the industrial heritage and waterways of the Lea River for the entrance and ticket hall with coloured concrete walls and illuminated glass.

New stairs and two new lifts are included to improve access for commuters, due to be completed next January.

The North London Line scheme being undertaken by Network Rail for the London Legacy Development Corporation has a new north-to-south subway under the railway to be ready by the spring, replacing the rusting overhead footbridge, and new pedestrian and cycle links opening up from Wallis Road through to White Post Lane.

Tower Hamlets Council and Hackney Council have contributed £1m each towards the scheme, aimed at rejuvenating the run-down industrial neighbourhood to attract investment and new housing.

“This will help generate new jobs and economic opportunities as well as provide badly-needed housing,” Tower Hamlets Mayor John Biggs said. “Investing in Hackney Wick station is part of a commitment to grow the area into a thriving part of east London for people and business.”

The new pedestrian and cycle links planned will open up access for passengers heading for the Olympic Park. The station improvements are also timed ready for two major housing schemes nearby, East Wick and Sweetwater by the Lea River.

TfL, which took over the North London Line in 2007, has turned the under-used “Cindarella railway” from being one of the most neglected parts of the urban network into a major link in the Overground connecting Stratford to north and west London. It is now one of the busiest lines in the country with stations brought up to modern standards with CCTV, disabled access and staffed all day while trains are running.