51°30′32″N 0°04′18″E / 51.50889°N 0.07167°E / 51.50889; 0.07167

Docklands Light Railway extension to Dagenham Dock
Overview
StatusHistoric proposal
Locale
Termini
Stations5
Service
TypeLight metro
SystemDocklands Light Railway
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

The Docklands Light Railway extension to Dagenham Dock was a proposed extension of the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) to Dagenham Dock in East London, to serve the Barking Riverside development and the wider London Riverside part of the Thames Gateway.

Plans for the extension can be traced back to 2002 and it was included in the London Plan from 2004. It had been anticipated that it could be completed and open for use by 2017. In November 2008, the Mayor of London Boris Johnson announced that due to financial constraints further development of the extension had been cancelled.

Since July 2022, the Barking Riverside development has been served by an extension of the London Overground to a new station at Barking Riverside. Proposals to extend the Docklands Light Railway to Thamesmead have subsequently become a priority instead of an extension to Dagenham Dock.

History

Proposal development

In 2002 the London Riverside Urban Strategy proposed an extension of the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) from Gallions Reach over Barking Creek, through Barking Riverside, South Dagenham and on to CEME and Rainham to support housing development in the London Riverside section of the Thames Gateway.[1] The London Plan published by the Greater London Authority in 2004 and 2008 included the extension of the DLR as far as Dagenham Dock.[2][3]

In 2007 a number of route options went to public consultation, with a decision made in November. An application for a Transport and Works Act order was made during 2008.[4] A public inquiry was due to take place and the project was expected to be completed in 2017[5] at a cost of around £750m.[6]

The public enquiry was postponed, following the announcement by Mayor of London Boris Johnson in November 2008 that further development of the project had been cancelled.[7]

The extension to Dagenham Dock was included in the Mayor's Transport Strategy published in May 2010[8] and the London Plan published in July 2011.[9]

Barking Riverside alternative rail service

A Grampian condition limited the number of homes that could be built in the Barking Riverside development that the extension was intended to serve. Until adequate public transport could be provided the number of homes was limited to 1,200.[10] In 2016, Transport for London assessed various options to bring transport links to Barking Riverside,[11] including the previously proposed DLR extension.[12] Subsequently, the Gospel Oak to Barking Line of the London Overground was extended from Barking to a new station in Barking Riverside to serve the area. This opened in July 2022, at a cost of around £325m.[13][14] The Overground extension cost around half as much as the DLR extension.[15]

Further proposals

The Mayor's Transport Strategy published in March 2018 proposed an extension of the DLR towards Thamesmead and Barking town centre.[16] In December 2019, an extension to Thamesmead was formally proposed by TfL that would diverge from the Beckton branch at Gallions Reach and could include a station at Beckton Riverside. The London Plan published in March 2021 prioritises the Thamesmead extension.[17] In 2023, an outline business case for the extension to Thamesmead via Beckton Riverside was submitted to Government.[18]

Barking and Dagenham Council continue to have an aspiration to extend the DLR to Dagenham Dock, including it in their transport priorities for the borough in October 2021.[19]

Proposed route and stations

The 2008 proposed route diverged from the Beckton branch at Gallions Reach station in the London Borough of Newham. It would have followed the River Thames north bank, crossing the mouth of the River Roding in a bored tunnel south of the Barking Flood Barrier. Here the route would have entered the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, following the River Thames on a viaduct before heading northwards to reach Goresbrook and Dagenham Dock.[20] It was envisaged that four new stations would be built, with additional platforms at the existing c2c station at Dagenham Dock.

The 2007 consultation noted that the DLR could be extended further from Dagenham Dock, such as north towards Dagenham Heathway or east towards Rainham.[21] The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham supported these additional extensions, provided it could be achieved without negatively impacting on existing infrastructure in the area.[22]

Station locale London borough
Beckton Riverside Newham
Creekmouth Barking and Dagenham
Barking Riverside Barking and Dagenham
Goresbrook (formerly Dagenham Vale) Barking and Dagenham
Dagenham Dock National Rail (existing station) Barking and Dagenham

References

  1. ^ "London Riverside Urban Strategy" (PDF). Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council. 5 November 2002. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  2. ^ "The London Plan" (PDF). Greater London Authority. 2004. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  3. ^ "The London Plan 2008 (Consolidated with alterations since 2004)". Greater London Authority. 2008. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  4. ^ Transport for London - DLR Extension to Dagenham Dock Archived 7 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Transport for London - Docklands Light Railway - Dagenham Dock: Key Project Milestones Archived 15 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Johnson, Marc (12 September 2017). "In focus: London Overground's Barking Riverside Extension". RailStaff. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  7. ^ "TfL scraps projects and cuts jobs". BBC News. 6 November 2008. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  8. ^ Mayor of London (May 2010). "Mayor's Transport Strategy". Greater London Authority. Archived from the original on 14 May 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  9. ^ Mayor of London (July 2011). "London Plan". Greater London Authority. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  10. ^ "Boris Johnson calls for creation of new 'garden suburb' in Barking and Dagenham". Evening Standard. 13 February 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  11. ^ "London Overground Barking Riverside Extension Transport Options Backcheck Report" (PDF). Transport for London. July 2016.[permanent dead link]
  12. ^ "Mayor's Transport Strategy, Chapter five—transport proposals". Transport for London. Archived from the original on 17 October 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2009.
  13. ^ "London Overground: Opening date of first new stop since 2015 confirmed". BBC News. 11 July 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  14. ^ Horgan, Rob (7 December 2020). "TfL's Barking Riverside Extension suffers year delay and another cost hike". New Civil Engineer. Archived from the original on 7 December 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  15. ^ Horgan, Rob (7 December 2020). "TfL's Barking Riverside Extension suffers year delay and another cost hike". New Civil Engineer. Archived from the original on 7 December 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  16. ^ Mayor of London (March 2018). "Mayor's Transport Strategy" (PDF). Greater London Authority. p. 259. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  17. ^ Mayor of London (March 2021). "London Plan" (PDF). Greater London Authority. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  18. ^ Vickers, Noah (16 June 2023). "Plans for DLR extension to Thamesmead take vital step forward". Evening Standard. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  19. ^ "Barking and Dagenham Borough-Wide Transport Priorities: 2021-2037". October 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  20. ^ Transport for London - Docklands Light Railway - Dagenham Dock Archived 4 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  21. ^ "Proposals for a DLR Dagenham Dock Extension - January 2007 – Consultation Leaflet no.1" (PDF). Docklands Light Railway. January 2007. Retrieved 20 July 2022. Agreeing a solution that allows a terminus to be built at the Dagenham Dock station area or considering alternative options beyond this. The plan below shows routes that are being considered between Gallions Reach and Dagenham Dock (and potentially beyond).
  22. ^ "Decision - Docklands Light Rail (DLR) Dagenham Dock Extension - Response to Consultation". London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. 29 May 2007. Retrieved 20 July 2022. Discussed the regeneration, development and associated public transport expansion opportunities that could arise from an extension to the DLR and, in particular, the potential negative impact on existing infrastructure of a longer-term vision of the DLR being extending up to Dagenham Heathway.
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