A new transport project has been given a major boost in the capital. A Transport for London public consultation has found that the majority of respondents support plans to extend the DLR to a long-overlooked area.
TfL announced that, following the positive feedback from the survey, it would start developing the business case for adding a stop in Thamesmead to the Docklands Light Railway line.
However, the proposal hasn’t yet secured funding and could cost as much as £1.7bn, with TFL noting it would “likely require funding from the private and public sectors”.
The consultation ran between February and March this year, with TfL receiving 1,254 responses from the public as well as 29 from stakeholder groups, according to a press release.
“If an extension beyond Thamesmead to Bexley becomes financially possible then this will be considered further,” TfL said, adding: “Our designs will continue to take a potential further extension into account.”
Thamesmead, on the south bank of the River Thames, has a population of some 50,000 people but is known for its limited transport links with no Tube or train connections.
TfL said its preferred approach would be to extend Beckton branch of the DLR with new new tracks Gallions Reach headed south to Thamesmead under the Thames. It would also look to make a new station, Beckton Riverside, on the north side of the river.
But the project would not see the line being extended the short distance from Thamesmead to Abbey Wood, which would provide quick access to the Elizabeth Line or a direct connection to City Airport.
Under the plans, passengers switch DLR trains at Canning Town to get to the airport the airport. Responding to concerns that the line wouldn’t be quick enough for commuters heading into central London, TfL said: “The DLR extension would connect with Elizabeth line and Jubilee line services at Custom House and Canning Town, providing frequent and fast connections to central London.”
Bexley council has said it supports the principle of the proposed DLR extension but said it must be designed to allow a further extension to Bexley in future.
The local authority extending the line to Belvedere would be “relatively low cost, and the area would greatly benefit from improved connections to the transport network”.
TfL said it hopes to complete an interim outline business case by next spring and – subject to funding – begin construction in 2028.
Newham mayor Rokhsana Fiaz said the project “has the potential to unlock a whole new development in the south of the borough, which would allow us to press ahead with plans to build more affordable homes, improve community spaces, as well as opening up the riverfront to all our residents”.
Cllr Anthony Okereke, leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, said: “Extending the DLR will not only transform Thamesmead, it will also make our whole area of London easier and more convenient for people to and from.”