Transport for London have announced that they will be moving to the next stage of their plans to extend the Docklands Light Railway to Thamesmead after a recent consultation saw support for the line. They will now be developing a business case and further plans for the extension.
Its planned that the DLR will be extended under the River Thames with it leaving the current Beckton line at Gallions Reach. It will have two new stations, one at Beckton Riverside and the other the terminus at Thamesmead, and will help to connect two Opportunity Areas, key locations with potential for new homes, jobs and infrastructure, and four development sites.
The consultation – which was launched earlier this year – had 1,254 responses from members of public and a further 29 from a range of stakeholders. Of those responses, 58% said the extension would make their journeys faster around the local area and 75% said it would make journeys to the wide east and southeast London easier. There was also sample polling in locations in Beckton, Gallions Reach, Thamesmead and Abbey Wood where 85% supported or strongly supported the proposals.
As well as the DLR extension it is also proposed that there will be a bus transit scheme from Woolwich to Abbey Wood via Thamesmead to further improve connectivity in the area.
It is said that the DLR extension would directly support the creation of up to 10,000 jobs which would benefit both London and the national economy. Investment in the scheme would support a UK wide supply chain, supporting growth and job creation across the country.
Alex Williams, TfL’s Chief Customer and Strategy Officer, said: “”It is great to see support to extend the DLR from Gallions Reach to Thamesmead via Beckton Riverside, which presents a crucial opportunity to boost connectivity by linking two major growth areas with two new accessible stations. We will now progress work on plans for the cross-river extension of the DLR, which could see customers benefit from the early 2030s, and continue to discuss funding options with all parties.”
It is probably important to note that as things stand there is no funding available for the extension. As part of the Business Case a financing strategy will be developed, its likely this will draw on funding from both the private and public sectors.
The aim is that an affordable solution will have been found by 2025, with construction then starting in 2028 and the extension opening in the early 2030s.