TfL Mulls DLR And Overground Extensions To Thamesmead
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on IanVisits.
Overground
TfL’s plan for the Overground would appear to be an extension under or over the River Thames to a single station at Thamesmead and a possible connection to the North Kent Line at Plumstead, Abbey Wood or Belvedere stations.
DLR
The plan for the DLR involves more stations, including a possible one on the North Bank of the Thames. It also serves a proposed massive Peabody housing development, which will provide up to 11,500 new homes.
What Goes East Must Go West
Nothing is said in Ian’s report about train services to Thamesmead.
Overground
On the Overground, there will be four trains per hour (tph) between Gospel Oak and Barking Riverside stations.
There are problems with increasing frequency and capacity, which could be necessary.
- The terminus at Gospel Oak station is only a single platform.
- The Gospel Oak to Barking Line is used by an increasing amount of electrically-haled freight trains.
- There is little space on the line for an additional bay platform to turn trains.
- Trains can’t continue along the North London Line at Gospel Oak, as that line is busy as well.
The only alternative Western terminals are.
- Barking – A bay platform could possibly be squeezed in.
- Enfield Town – Sounds crazy, but there is a chord between Seven Sisters and South Tottenham stations.
- Fenchurch Street – Busy and possibly could be made larger with redevelopment.
- Liverpool Street – Busy and only a slight possibility.
There would also need to be platform lengthening to incorporate trains that are longer than four cars.
Although, it might be possible to run five-car trains using selective door opening on the last car.
DLR
Currently, the DLR has a Peak service of 7.5 tph between Tower Gateway and Becton calling at Shadwell, Limehouse, Westferry, Poplar, Blackwall, East India, Canning Town, Royal Victoria, Custom House, Prince Regent, Royal Albert, Beckton Park, Cyprus, Gallions Reach.
The extension to Thamesmead would branch off around Gallions Reach and the current service has the following connections.
- Shadwell – London Overground
- Canning Town – Jubilee Line
- Royal Victoria – Emirates Air-Line
- Custom House – Crossrail
Will there be enough capacity on this section of the DLR?
- Tower Gateway is a single-platform station and would need to be upgraded to handle more than 7.5 tph.
- Thirty tph run through Shadwell, Limeshouse and Westferry station in the Peak.
- Can stations be lengthened to use longer trains?
It does look to me that the only way to increase capacity would be to extend the DLR to the West, as I outlined in The Bank Station Upgrade And The Western Extension Of The DLR.
This map from TfL shows the possible extension.
What would be the cost of this extension?
Conclusion
The logic and economics of extending either the Overground or the DLR to Thamesmead are sound for that area of South-East London, but does The Mayor have the budget to complete the other end of the transport links?
I think Thamesmead is long over due better connections, and to have both overground and DLR would be a huge boost…
But to use a new, expensive, tunnel just for 4 tph does not make sense to me, Could there not be a ‘shuttle’ between a future Thamesmead station and Barking, timed in between the Goblin service, maybe providing an extra 8 tph between the two aforementioned stations…
Comment by boypathos | February 16, 2019 |