The Anonymous Widower

Extending The Docklands Light Railway West From Bank Station

Two possible routes have been proposed foe extending the Docklands Light Railway to the West

• Victoria/Charing Cross Extensions
• Euston/St. Pancras Extension

Whether either is worth developing, I don’t know.

But consider.

• The Thameslink Programme will improve access between London Bridge and Charing Cross stations, which could take pressure off the Jubilee Line.
• The Thameslink Programme will improve Southeastern services into Cannon Street and Charing Cross stations.
• Charing Cross station has a couple of spare platforms, that some would like to re-use.
• Euston and St. Pancras stations have bad access to Canary Wharf and South East London.
• The Bakerloo Line Extension has been given the green light.
• Crossrail connects Canary Wharf to Bond Strreet, Heathrow, Liverpool Street and Paddington.

But the big issue, is what happens about Crossrail 2.

I feel that the more likely extension to the West is to go from Bank to Euston via City Thameslink and Holborn and/or Tottenham Court Road stations and finish by going on to St. Pancras.

It could link HS2 at Euston and European services at St. Pancras to the following.

• Thameslink at City Thameslink station.
• Crossrail at Tottenham Court Road station.
• Bank and Canary Wharf stations.

It would also provide a decent link between the long distance services at Euston, Kings Cross and St. Pancras.

These factors would also influence the design of the DLR Extension.

• The DLR has all the agility of a mountain coat to climb hills and turn sharply, so it might be possible to squeeze it through places impossible for a Crossrail or an Underground line.
• 3D-design techniques are getting better every year.
• Tunnel boring machines are getting more accurate.
• Escalators are getting longer.

So could we see the extension going from Bank to City Thameslink as a traditional extension and then going in a long double-track loop via some or all of the following stations.

• Holborn
• Tottenham Court Road
• Oxford Circus
• Regents Park
• Euston
• St. Pancras
• Covent Garden

It would all depend on where they could squeeze the tracks through.

• Stations could be island platforms between the tracks.
• Platform edge doors could be fitted.
• Escalators and lifts could link the platforms to existing station.

There’s no reason why the line should be designed traditionally for the DLR.

February 17, 2017 - Posted by AnonW | Travel | Docklands Light Railway, Eurostar, Euston Station, HS2, St. Pancras Station