It is what it is! Feels largely underused given the size, given it was built with 2012 in mind and so-far the plans to bring a competitor to the Eurostar through have been unsuccessful, but as a local East Village station it could certainly be worse.
Given the close proximity to the mall there's no need for a myriad of shops here, but you do have your standard offerings for that quick commute coffee or snack. The station is also very clean and open, which is a huge plus.
There are really only two tracks, with the stand out being the fast train to St. Pancras... £3.80 or so (on Oyster, £6 with a ticket) and you're at St. Pancras/Kings Cross in about 7 minutes having avoided the tube altogether... it may be a bit much for everyday use, but by goodness it's worth it when needed... the thought of going back to the tube to commute through King's Cross from the East Village (Stratford) area is unbearable knowing this is an option. (OK, so it's bearable, but not fun.) :)
The one thing you need to look for, as with all transport, is the train times in advance... they are frequent (frequent enough that you can pretty much walk up and get one in short order), but when something goes wrong on the line you may end up missing a connecting train, etc., as there seems to be a huge knock on affect. read more