London train line to get an extension with two new stations (original) (raw)

DLR train on elevated tracks crosses South Quay towards Heron Quays station at the heart of Canary Wharf financial district on 5th January 2026 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo: Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)

The new route will run via two new stations (Picture: In Pictures via Getty Images)

Plans for a £1,700,000,000 DLR extension in east London involving the creation of two new stations are being finalised.

A final consultation on the plans is now underway and a map showing what the new routes would look like has been released.

The route will split off from the existing DLR line to Beckton at Gallions Reach, where trains will continue on to Beckton Riverside before terminating at Thamesmead.

Construction of the new route will involve building two tunnels under the Thames as well as the new stations – Beckton Riverside north of the river and Thamesmead south.

The extension was approved when funding was allocated in Labour’s November 2025 budget. During the final round of talks, more detailed plans for the stations themselves will be considered.

We would proposed to do this by providing an elevated track from Gallions Reach over the existing Beckton branch line and then continuing towards Beckton Riverside. We call this a ?grade separated? junction. This junction means that trains operating on the extension would not come into conflict with trains operating on the existing Beckton branch, or which are leaving and entering the depot, and so avoids potential delays. This layout would also provide a direct link between Beckton depot and the proposed extension to Thamesmead, ensuring trains serving the extension could start service without impacting services on the existing Beckton branch. This layout would also allow for a potential future extension of the DLR towards Barking, subject to funding and justification of benefits. We explored an alternative ?at grade? junction layout, which would require trains operating to/from Beckton Riverside and Thamesmead to cross over the existing Beckton branch to access the extension. However, this would require trains stopping and waiting for a route to become available across the junction with the existing Beckton. This would impact the number of trains we could run on the network and could extend journey times and cause delays across the DLR network. Route through Beckton Riverside The proposed route alignment through the Beckton Riverside area is constrained. To the west (towards Beckton) there is Royal Docks Road (A1020) and Armada Way, the existing Beckton DLR branch and utilities infrastructure. This includes Beckton CHiP (Combined Heat and Intelligent Power) plant, a bioliquid fuelled power station, and a Cadent Gas Pressure Reduction Station. To the east (towards the River Thames) there is Armada Way, a flood attenuation pond, and river wall infrastructure. There is also a significant amount of below ground utilities and other buried obstructions which have influenced the development of options for this section of the route. The proposed route alignment would initially remain elevated on a viaduct to pass through the Beckton Riverside area immediately to the south of Armada Way, passing over the edge of the Cadent Gas Pressure Reduction Station site and Hornet Way, to maintain vehicle access to the Beckton CHiP plant, Cadent Gas Pressure Reduction Station and Beckton Depot. The viaduct section of the railway would run for around 500 metres through Beckton Riverside, before descending to a proposed ground level station at Beckton Riverside. This would serve two major development sites in the area. To the north of the proposed station and Armada Way lies the existing Gallions Reach Shopping Park owned by Aberdeen Investments, with the remaining undeveloped part of the former Beckton Gas works, owned by St William to the south of the DLR alignment and proposed station at Beckton Riverside. Information about our preferred option for this station, and the alternatives we have assessed,

The route will involve the creation of two new stations – Beckton Riverside and Thamesmead (Picture: Transport for London)

Beckton Riverside will be at street level with a footbridge and lifts linking two platforms on either side of the track.

Meanwhile, Thamesmead will be built on the site of Cannon Retail Park on a viaduct. It will have a central platform and tracks running on either side.

Trains would run every eight to 10 minutes along the route and every eight to 10 minutes from Beckton, meaning Gallions Reach will run services every four to five minutes.

Will there be more DLR extensions?

There are no current plans to extend the DLR further.

However, the new station at Thamesmead would be designed to allow for a potential future extension of the line out towards Belvedere in Bexley, southeast London.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - 2021/09/07: A Docklands Light Railway (DLR) plus in to East India station in London UK. (Photo by Dave Rushen/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

A DLR train at East India Station (Picture: Dave Rushen/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

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When will the new Thamesmead DLR station open?

Once the final details have been finalised, Transport for London (TfL) will submit a Transport and Works Act Order (TWAO) application which, if approved, will mean plans for the extension can finally go ahead.

TfL is hoping to submit the application in early 2027 and construction could begin as early as 2029, meaning the new stations could open in the early part of the next decade.

Thamesmead sits on the border of Greenwich and Bexley and is a residential area made up predominantly of 1960s social housing built on former marshland.

Beckton in the east London borough of Newham was also built on marshland known as the East Ham Levels. Housing was built there during the 19th century for workers of the Beckton Gas Works and Beckton Sewage Treatment Works.

TfL says the extension, in addition to improving transport connections to both areas, would allow for the construction of up to 25,000 new homes along the route.

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