The DLR has changed the face of east London since it first opened in 1987. In its earliest days, many of the exotic-sounding places it linked up were sparsely populated former docks, and dotted with crumbling remnants of London’s long shipping heritage. But by the early 1990s, Canary Wharf was a freshly-built outcrop of shining towers linked up to a growing array of new waterside office and housing developments. New stations were added on, year after year, reflecting London’s gradual sprawl eastwards as the city grew.
The last major extension came in 2011 with the arrival of the Star Line, which paved the way for the London Olympics and Paralympics the following year by connecting Canning Town to Stratford International, via Star Lane, West Ham, Abbey Road, Stratford High Street and Stratford. The DLR hasn’t exactly been resting on its laurels since then, with new air-conditioned trains set for arrival this summer.
Even so, it’s been quite some time since the DLR put spade to ground and dug out some new stations, while reshaping whole new neighbourhoods into the bargain. So it’s exciting to see that one long-awaited new extension to the line looks like it’s finally getting underway.
Transport for London (TfL) is inviting Londoners to share their thoughts on a new extension to the DLR, running from Gallions Reach to Thamesmead via Beckton Riverside. The plans will include a new station at Beckton Riverside, opposite Gallions Reach Shopping Park, which will be part of a regeneration project including homes, community space, jobs and retail. The second planned station will be at Thamesmead Waterfront, a 100-hectare regeneration site owned by Peabody, which could potentially be redeveloped into one of the government’s proposed New Towns, complete with a town centre, homes, and jobs.
As part of the consultation process, TfL is asking for locals’ views on the plans’ impact on local communities and the environment, as well as the designs for new stations, and how materials will be transported.
Perhaps the most ambitious part of the scheme is a new tunnel under the Thames, burrowing through chalk to link up Thamesmead Waterfront and Beckton Riverside. These two spots are London’s biggest remaining brownfield sites, meaning they’re ripe for redevelopment in an overcrowded city.
Environmentalists are concerned that Thamesmead will lose its status as a peninsula that’s teeming with green spaces and wildlife. Still, the Government confirmed its support for the scheme in the Autumn Budget 2025, and if all goes to plan with funding and approvals, construction could begin in 2029, ahead of an opening in the early 2030s. The plan is forecast to deliver 30,000 new homes, as well as plenty of amenities, riverside views and fresh air for London’s newest, shiniest neighbourhoods.
You can have your say on the consultation website here.
In more train news, you’ll soon be able to get the Eurostar straight to Switzerland.
Did you see that one of London’s best weekend trips just got a brand new train service – with tickets from just £30?
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