Make Eurostar stop at Stratford International, ministers urged

Transport Secretary Lord Adonis is under pressure to order Eurostar trains to stop at Stratford International station to stop it being the biggest "white elephant" in London.

The £210 million station was completed almost four years ago as part of the upgrade of the Channel Tunnel line between St Pancras and Folkestone.

Built with public funds, it was mothballed until last December, when new high-speed trains run by Southeastern between London and Kent began stopping. During the Olympics the Javelin shuttle train to St Pancras will use it.

But Eurostar trains pass straight through. Now Newham council and Westfield, the developer building Stratford City shopping centre by the Olympic Park, are urging Lord Adonis, who visited the station yesterday, to intervene.

Newham mayor Sir Robin Wales said it would be "unforgivable" if trains to and from France and Belgium continued to speed past. "In Stratford International we have a station that is only international by name. That simply does not make sense," he said.

Westfield's chief operating officer Peter Miller said the station was vital to the regeneration of east London.

But a Eurostar spokeswoman said the interchange between Stratford International and the Tube and local rail station was "not satisfactory". The two are now linked by a free shuttle bus after plans for a travelator were ditched.

A Department for Transport spokesman said: "Decisions are for Eurostar to make."