Plans have been unveiled for a new extension to the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) in east London, which would involve the construction of a new tunnel under the River Thames.
Transport for London (TfL) has revealed details of the scheme, which would involve a new spur branching off from the line between Beckton and Gallions Reach stations, with a station at Beckton Riverside to the north of the Thames and another at Thamesmead on the south side.
If the scheme gets the go-ahead, conveyor belt installation will be a key task for the tunnel excavators as they create the newest river crossing.
TfL has drawn up the plans with the intention of emulating the success of the 2009 extension to Woolwich Arsenal, which also involved tunnelling under the river. It helped open up the area along the route for new housing and commercial developments in Woolwich, Canning Town, Pontoon Dock and West Silvertown.
In the case of the latest proposals, the plan would similarly envisage new developments rising up along the new route, providing between 25,000 and 35,000 homes. The new DLR line would be supplemented by new bus services providing easy access to the Elizabeth line at Abbey Wood.
A strategic outline case has been submitted to the government to seek funding. At the same time, a public-private partnership has already been established involving TfL alongside the London boroughs of Greenwich and Newham and three major landowners.
Commenting on the plans, the mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “Extending the DLR would unlock huge opportunities for London.”
He added: “It would support tens of thousands of new homes, deliver new transport connections, and boost the economy – supporting the creation of thousands of jobs.”
Mr Khan highlighted that investment in public transport is the key to growth in the capital and that may mean a lot more tunnelling to come.
Already there have been major projects in the capital in recent years that have gone underground, from the Elizabeth Line to the extension of the Northern line to Battersea Power Station. Future plans envisage an extension of the Bakerloo line beyond its current terminus at Elephant & Castle across south-east London, first to Lewisham and then beyond.
Some of the latter would involve more tunnelling, although part of any section beyond Lewisham would involve a surface line using a converted mainline railway from Catford down to Hayes.
Like the latest proposed DLR extension, the Bakerloo plans reflect the fact that up to now the south-east of London has lacked an extensive metro service to supplement mainline rail services, with just four Tube stations (all on the Jubilee line close to the Thames) and six DLR stations at present.
Expanding the DLR could also include a lot of underground work in addition to its tunnels under the Thames, the first of which was the extension from the Isle of Dogs to Lewisham, via Greenwich.
While it is mostly an overground system, the DLR does have underground stations at Bank, Island Gardens, Cutty Sark for Maritime Greenwich, and Woolwich Arsenal.
