London site earmarked for rail freight campus which will create up to 5,000 jobs

Network Rail has received unanimous approval from the London Legacy Development Corporation for a masterplan to transform the 30-acre Bow Goods Yard brownfield site into a rail freight campus and last-mile logistics hub.

The development, which will create up to 5,000 new jobs, aims to reduce congestion and emissions by shifting freight from road to rail. It will also provide a new centralised hub for NR.

In addition to the industrial and logistics facilities, the masterplan includes plans for leisure and community spaces.

The Bow Goods Yard was an integral part of the development of the Olympic Village in Stratford, ensuring building materials could be delivered to the central London location. It is the last parcel of land at the site to be developed.

Network Rail Group Property Director Robin Dobson said: “Transforming this strategically underutilised freight site into the largest industrial and logistics campus that serves the whole

of east London is central to expanding rail freight capacity and supporting the capital’s logistics market.”

The Bow Goods Yard development is one of several projects highlighted as possible catalysts for future growth for rail freight in the capital.

The Office of Rail and Road recently recommended five projects - including reinstating a third platform at Camden Road station; expanding and upgrading Kensal Green junction in north London; and doubling Harlesden Junction at the convergence of the West Coast Main Line and the City Line.

Additionally, the Waterloo Freight Hub, utilising undercroft space at the station for both road and rail freight, has gained support from both NR and the Great British Railways Transition Team.