The UK's "seventh busiest railway station" is in for a makeover.

The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) is leading on procurement for the revamp of Stratford Station, and has teamed up with Network Rail, Transport for London (TfL) and Newham Council for the project.

To get things rolling, LLDC has awarded architects 5th Studio a £300,000 contract to come up with ideas to secure the station's long-term future.

Stratford Station's connection to the town centre and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park forms part of the focus of the transport hub's revamp, with ways of making the station more accessible and passenger-friendly also being considered.

Rosanna Lawes, LLDC's executive director of development, said: "The scale of regeneration on and around the park has meant passenger usage at Stratford Station has trebled over the past 10 years.

"This essential work will not only help us make a case to government which secures Stratford as an appealing place to work, live and visit, but it will also help us identify ways in which we can improve local connectivity and job opportunities for nearby residents."

5th Studio is working with Expedition Engineering, Momentum Transport, Turner and Townsend and Giorgia Sharpe with Thomas Matthews to develop the vision and urban design framework.

The work will inform the business case for the long-term redevelopment of the station being pursued by LLDC, Network Rail, Newham Council and TfL.

The scale of transformation needed is similar to what has been seen at King's Cross and London Bridge, according to 5th Studio.

Tom Holbrook, director of 5th Studio, said: "Stratford has been shaped by the railway, but the railway has set up some challenging obstacles to movement and connectivity that have baked in inequality.

"We are delighted to win this important commission, which builds on previous work over the last decade to improve connectivity on and around the Olympic park and legacy boroughs."

In 2019, the Office of Rail and Road identified Stratford Station as the seventh busiest Network Rail station in the UK.

Stratford also beat commuter hubs King's Cross and Waterloo to become the busiest station on the Transport for London (TfL) network last year.

It is estimated there are 128million passenger movements a year across all lines with passenger demand is expected to continue to increase in the future, even post-Covid-19.