Network Rail Property's Ushma Samani joins Future Cities Forum's 'Infrastructure 2025' discussions

Image: courtesy of Network Rail Property.

Future Cities Forum is delighted to welcome Ushma Samani, Principal Development Manager, Major Projects at

Network Rail Property to its infrastructure forum this week.

Ushma focuses on landmark projects, located in strategically and operationally complex environments, seeking land value capture through planning gain, land assembly and bringing together strategic stakeholder partnerships and engagement. 

Network Rail Property are taking the lead seeking to recycle cash directly into projects to unlock best in class opportunities through a property led approach. 

Further to securing planning at Bow Goods Yard, 30 acres of freight industrial land in the Olympic Park at Stratford, east London, Ushma is leading on the redevelopment of Liverpool Street Station.  

Bow Goods Yard is the final parcel of London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic legacy land to be unlocked and is Network Rail Property’s first independent planning submission.

Under the industrial-led masterplan, up to 3 million sq ft of floorspace will be created, including heavy and light industrial space. Bow Goods Yard has the potential to deliver a new centralised hub for Network Rail, accelerating London’s transition to green freight future. Taking up to 90,000 HGV movements a year away from the national road network, the masterplan will cut congestion and emissions.

Additionally, a range of leisure uses are proposed, with the flexibility for up to 350,000 sq ft destination leisure supported by 35,000 sq ft food and beverage alongside 55,000 sq ft of sports pitches to complement existing facilities on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Bow Goods Yard is vital to London’s construction sector, supplying over a million tonnes of aggregates annually. Rail freight contributes £2.5bn to the UK economy, and hubs such as Bow Goods Yard will be crucial to expanding sustainable freight as businesses switch to rail.

The development improves rail freight capacity and efficiency by consolidating operations, enclosing and screening the concrete-batching facility, which enables an integrated last mile logistics hub to be brought forward, with the scheme creating up to 5,000 new jobs.

Currently an isolated site, large parts are not accessible to the local community, and a series of green open spaces will be created, delivering 200,000 sq ft of new public open space. New public realm will improve the Greenway, creating new pedestrian and cycle routes alongside the introduction of 150 trees, green walls and green roofs.

London Liverpool Street station is a major transport hub connecting well over 100 million people a year within London and the southeast, with passengers forecast to grow to over 140 million a year by 2050.

This is a transport-led scheme promoted by Network Rail Property focused on providing big improvements to the everyday experience for passengers, including increasing the size of the concourse to ease congestion, new landmark entrances on Liverpool Street, Bishopsgate and Exchange Square as well as a greater variety of cafes, restaurants and shops.

A previous scheme, submitted in 2023, generated significant objection from heritage organisations.  After listening to a broad range of views, Network Rail Property is leading the consultation on new plans that will deliver significant improvements to public infrastructure for a best in class, destination station that protects the station’s heritage setting.