A little noticed sentence in the Budget has announced that the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is to get a new station and 14 additional trains.
In the budget documents, it was announced that a total of £291 million has been provided from the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) to unlock 18,000 new homes through improvements to the DLR.
According to a submission by the Greater London Authority (GLA) to the HIF, funding will allow the purchase of 14 DLR trains, improvements to and increased capacity of the Beckton and Poplar depots, and a new DLR station at Thames Wharf, part of the Thameside West development.
The station at Thames Wharf would sit roughly half-way between Canning Town and West Silvertown, in an area that is currently light industrial and brown-field sites but has been earmarked for housing for at least 4,500 new homes.
When the London City Airport Extension of DLR was constructed in 2005, it included passive provision for an additional station at Thames Wharf to support development there. The station would need to be delivered as part of the development at Thames Wharf.
Funding for these latest DLR upgrades is coming from the Housing Infrastructure Fund, which was set up in 2016 to provide gap funding for infrastructure investments that will unlock the construction of additional homes.
The funding also has a condition attached that the funds are spent by March 2023. Due to that, construction of the homes is expected to come after the station is built, as the land is also needed first to support the construction of the Silvertown road tunnel. That work is expected to occupy the site until 2024, when it can then be released for housing development.
Incidentally, the new station was already programmed into the DLR train displays, at least a decade before the station is expected to open. That’s forward planning for you.
The rest of the funding announced in the Budget will cover the expansion of the Beckton depot for new trains, and a contribution to the redevelopment of Poplar depot, which would include a new housing development over the depot and new bridge links over the 6-lane Aspen Way to Canary Wharf.
The Budget also provided a significant contribution to the new DLR station, which the Royal Docks Infrastructure Investment Plan, has previous estimated to cost in the region of £18 million to build.
TfL has previously announced an intention to order 43 new full-length DLR trains replacing current rolling stock, with a redesigned interior which should increase carrying capacity on the network by 30%.
That order is due to be confirmed later this year, and can now be expected to be increased from 43 to 56 new trains.
Lucinda Turner, Director of Spatial Planning at Transport for London said: “We welcome this funding from the Government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund for improvements to the Docklands Light Railway, which will help enable 18,000 new homes to come forward in two of London’s largest Opportunity Areas – the Isle of Dogs and Royal Docks as well as support access to jobs all across east London. We will work with partners to progress the wider plans for this funding, which include purchasing additional trains, freeing up land around depots for housing as well as a significant contribution towards a new station in Thameside West.”
They should call it “Carlsberg-Tetley Station”
So its where the new Thames Wharf DLR station is to be built. As it will be located on Scarab Close or on Dock Road. Not far from Lower Lea Crossing roundabout where the A1011 Silvertown Way goes over the roundabout near to Royal Victoria and Canning Town. Where the A1011 Silvertown Way becomes A1020 North Woolwich Road towards North Woolwich and south of London EXCEL Centre.
Should of said “this is” and not “its”*
I can remember this Station was shown as a ‘ future Station ‘ when this branch of the DLR was announced and built as in those days we had the Docklands Development organisation developing the former docks area .
While the original DLR was built long before development took place as it was believed that install the transport infrastructure and development will follow it’s just that it’s taken far longer than expected to get to this piece of land.
Building the station at same time as new Thames Crossing would make sense and maybe construction of a parking area might be considered to try and lure road users onto the DLR !
The development around Poplar Station is likely to become bigger given City of London plans to relocate Billingsgate fish market which is beside Poplar Station and next to Canary Wharf bringing the possibility of building a new station fully integrated into Billingsgate/ Canary Wharf development with main road beside the DLR placed into a tunnel.
Agree development around Poplar is likely to be bigger, and a future focal point – Canary Wharf Group have plans for the ‘North Quay’ land between Canary Wharf, Billingsgate, Poplar & West India Quay (mixed retail, residential and offices, including access through to Poplar). I had assumed Billingsgate Market would be the next culprit but didn’t know plans were already afoot.
https://group.canarywharf.com/planning/north-quay/
“That order is due to be confirmed later this year, and can now be expected to be increased from 43 to 56 new trains.”
yet above you say :
” and 14 additional trains.”
aaaahhhmmm…. ???