A consultation has opened looking at plans to extend the DLR from Beckton to Thamesmead, and potentially beyond.
Thamesmead has long been a rather isolated area with buses to the local Abbey Wood station, but it’s a surprisingly slow journey and adds a substantial amount of time for commuters to work. As part of a wider regeneration of the area, TfL and the Mayor’s office are looking at how to improve the area transport options.
The one that’s likely to be supplied first is the easier to deliver, and that would be improvements to the bus services with a new segregated road bus transit service linking with Woolwich and Abbey Wood.
That would unlock the potential for around 7,500 additional homes in the area.
However, the real prize is likely to be the long mooted extension of the DLR across the Thames from Becton, with new stations built on either side of the Thames, at Armada Riverside and Thamesmead West, and a possible extension down towards Belvedere.
That would also unlock considerably more housing — some 15,500 new homes being projected if the DLR is opened.
Although that would link Thamesmead with the DLR towards Canning Town, there is also a speculative suggestion of the DLR going up towards Barking as well, which would substantially widen the options for faster connections into central London.
However, there’s currently no funding for anything at the moment, so they’re warning that any upgrades will be dependent on the scale of new growth to make a strong case for investment and on the availability of funding for construction.
The consultation is holding a number of public events:
- Sat 15 Feb 2020, 1pm – 4pm, Sainsbury’s Abbey Wood, SE2 9NU
- Thurs 20 Feb 2020, 5pm-8pm, Thamesmere Library, SE28 8DT
- Tues 25 Feb 2020, 5pm – 8pm Sports Club Thamesmead, Mead Bar, SE28 8NJ
- Weds 26 Feb 2020, 10am – 5.30pm Thamesmead Information Hub, DA18 4BW
There is also the exceptionally long url for their website:
You would have though that they might have started with a current DLR map when planning an extension, wouldn’t you?
That will be very kind of the organisation if the Dlr will extend to Thamesmead. We living here here will be so happy.
Yep, it would be better to get the extension to Stratford International via Canning Town and West Ham built first……..
This is good news. But would be even better if the line is extended to Slade Green.
it be nice to do this to dartford
I seem to recall they were going to build a busway along the banks of the Thames until it was scrapped. Also, this may mean the GOBLin extension from Barking Riverside may not go ahead as I recall they last said Thamesmead could have a DLR extension, or an Overground one, but not both.
They are building the Barking Riverside station and line, you can go see…
Intrigued by the speculative suggestion of the DLR going up towards Barking, not sure how it would go about reaching Barking station though if that is the intended stop let alone if there are anymore opportunities for a northern extension from Barking to around Ilford.
the .is web address is interesting!!!
The other thing missing is extending Crossrail to Ebbsfleet as a long term plan.
Does anybody remember the Jubilee Line branch at North Greenwich that was built in case of an extension to Thamesmead? That is not being considered because of costs or heavy usage, right?
By the way,the Beckton branch has more stops than the Woolwich Arsenal branch, making it slower than an Overground extension from Barking.
Nothing more than passive provision at North Greenwich station for a possible extension was ever built.
Paul Donnelly says:
8th April 2020 at 6:25 pm
The DLR stops frequently into London, additionally at Thames Wharf soon. It seems the logical next Step to unlock Development.
However, once the Houses are actually built , Rail will be needed.
Thamesmead and Abbey Wood to Barking Reach and Riverside and then on to Gospel Oak and maybe even Camden Town, York Way and Kings Cross ( Central St Martin’s), could involve a seamless Journey of about an Hour.
I’m reminded of the success of the River Bus and in particular its use as a precursor to the now proposed Rotherhithe to Canary Wharf Bridge.
Not only could it go from Thamesmead to Barking ( Barcelona on Thames) it could be Ticketed on Oyster as a London Overground Stop.
It would provide valuable Daily Footfall for the new Central Markets Complex, at Barking Reach and presumably it’s Restaurant and Leisure Quarter
The GOBLIN Line, would need re-Signalling, for 8-10 Trains an hour. The City of London have a philanthropic bent, the Ferry should be Financially Viable without Subsidy.
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