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Plans to extend the DLR to Thamesmead are moving to the next stage after receiving a cautious amount of support from the Government.
The proposals are one of London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan’s three big ticket “dream schemes”, alongside the Bakerloo line extension and the West London Orbital railway, but all are unfunded.
It comes as DLR passengers were warned of temporary disruption from July 21 to prepare the network for the long-delayed arrival of the first of 54 new trains.
It is thought that extending the Beckton branch of the DLR via a new tunnel under the Thames would cost about £1.7bn.
If funding and planning consent is received, Transport for London says construction “could begin in the late 2020s, with the extension open in the early 2030s”.
An initial TfL consultation on the wider concept of extending the DLR to Thamesmead won support but some respondents argued it would make more sense to extend the London Overground or Elizabeth line.
There were also calls for the extension to continue further south to connect with Abbey Wood station and with Bexley, and concern at the lack of a direct connection with City airport, which is on the Woolwich Arsenal branch of the DLR.
Now TfL has launched a second consultation setting out in greater detail the locations of the two new stations – at Beckton Riverside and Thamesmead – and how the route would cross a “Site of Importance for Nature Conservation”, the Twin Tumps and Thamesmere reserve, on a viaduct rather than in tunnels.
Earlier this month, Sir Sadiq expressed his dismay of the lack of funding for the DLR extension in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ comprehensive spending review.
But last Thursday a letter from Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander to the mayor, in which she told him that TfL fares would have to rise above inflation for four successive years, gave hope that the DLR could eventually reach Thamesmead, which has no Tube or train station.
Ms Alexander wrote: “HMG [His Majesty’s Government] recognises the potential housing and economic growth that could be stimulated by extending the DLR to Thamesmead via Beckton, and acknowledges the substantial work undertaken on the programme to date.
“HMG will continue to work closely with the Greater London Authority and TfL so they can finalise a full business case and funding plan by autumn 2025.”
Under the proposals, the DLR would branch off after Gallions Reach station and travel through the Beckton Riverside area on a viaduct before descending to a new ground-level station to the south of Armada Way.
The earmarked site is currently vacant, opposite Gallions Reach Shopping Park. The new station would form part of a redeveloped town centre, with residential developments, employment, retail, and community facilities, according to TfL.
The track would descend underground into a tunnel to cross under the Thames towards Thamesmead.
The track would come out of the tunnel onto a viaduct to pass over the Twin Tumps and Thamesmere Site of Importance for Nature Conservation before terminating at an elevated station in Thamesmead town centre on the current site of Cannon Retail Park.
Cannon Retail Park and the proposed station location are located at Thamesmead Waterfront, part of a 100-hectare site proposed regeneration site owned by the Peabody housing association.
There would be a station entrance adjacent to Central Way, creating a new bus interchange, including the proposed new SL11 Superloop service.
Crucially, the station would be designed “so that it could support any further extension (for example towards Bexley) in the future, subject to funding and justification of benefits”, according to TfL’s consultation documents.
TfL said that “due to engineering constraints”, it would not be feasible to extend the tunnel to pass under the Twin Tumps and still serve an elevated station.
TfL said it had “explored a range of alternative options for the proposed station” at Thamesmead.
It said a ground-level station “would sever pedestrian connections in the heart of the new town centre” that is planned for Thamesmead, whilst an underground station would be significantly more expensive to construct and operate than an elevated option.
TfL believes extending the DLR to Thamesmead would “unlock” up to 30,000 new homes and 10,000 new jobs.
Journey times from Thamesmead would be about 25 minutes to Stratford, 30 minutes to London Bridge and around 35 minutes to Tottenham Court Road, via a change onto the Elizabeth line.
The consultation is open until August 17.
The DLR, which first opened in 1987, was extended to Woolwich Arsenal in 2009, tunnelling beneath the River Thames, with housing growth following in areas including Woolwich, Canning Town and the Royal Docks.
Alex Williams, TfL’s chief customer and strategy officer, said: “The case to extend the DLR from Gallions Reach to Thamesmead via Beckton Riverside is clear as it provides a crucial opportunity to create new homes, jobs and economic growth by linking two major growth areas with two new accessible stations.
“It’s really important to get feedback from those who may benefit from the extension in future, as this will help shape the scheme as we progress through to the next stages of planning.”
TfL intends to submit a Transport and Works Act Order application in autumn 2026. Subject to funding and approval, construction could begin in the late 2020s, with the extension open in the early 2030s.
Muniya Barua, deputy chief executive of lobby group BusinessLDN, said: “The Government should build on warm words in the spending review and urgently provide clarity on funding so that construction can begin as quickly as possible.”
A spokesperson for the Royal Borough of Greenwich said: “Thamesmead is the only London postcode without a direct train link, and our residents deserve the same connectivity as the rest of the capital.”
Preparations for the arrival of a new fleet of DLR trains – about a year behind schedule – will mean there will be no Beckton to Canning Town/Stratford International trains, though Tower Gateway to Beckton services will continue to run as normal.
In addition, peak hour services between Stratford and Lewisham will not run, requiring passengers to change at Canary Wharf.
TfL said the timetable changes were necessary “due to the age of the existing DLR trains”.
Stuart Harvey, TfL’s Chief Capital Officer, said: “We need to begin retiring some of the oldest trains, meaning some short-term timetable changes are required.
“We apologise for this inconvenience to customers, but they are necessary to ensure we can maintain the safest most reliable service.”
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