Work will enable station to be served by four trains per hour, reports Simon Allin, Local Democracy Reporter

*Meridian Water Station was opened in June 2019*

Plans to boost rail services at Enfield Council’s £6billion Meridian Water regeneration scheme have taken a step forward.

The council has agreed a construction deal to create a passing loop at Ponders End Station, which will allow four trains per hour to serve Meridian Water Station, which was opened in June 2019.

The loop will enable fast trains on the West Anglia Main Line to overtake stopping services at Ponders End Station, allowing more trains to stop at Meridian Water, which is presently only served by two trains per hour towards Stratford.

During a meeting on Wednesday, cabinet members agreed a pre-construction services deal with a preferred contractor and to delegate a decision to officers to enter into a full contract for the work, subject to certain conditions being met.

Speaking during the meeting, council leader Nesil Caliskan said the “significant” cabinet report would allow the authority to make progress with the infrastructure works relating to the station.

The works at Ponders End Station are set to be funded using part of a government grant that was awarded to the council to develop infrastructure as part of the Meridian Water housing scheme. To secure all of the funding available, the works need to be completed by the end of March 2024.

Enfield Council is aiming to provide 10,000 homes and 6,000 jobs at Meridian Water, using former industrial land in Edmonton. Detailed plans for phase 1a of Meridian One, set to provide 300 homes, were approved in May last year and construction has now begun on the site, which is adjacent to the railway station. Phase 1b of the scheme, which has yet to win approval, is set to provide an extra 677 homes.

In October last year, councillors also approved the creation of a skills academy at the Meridian Water site, which will provide training for residents that could help them gain employment at the borough’s flagship redevelopment scheme and other sites in the borough.

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