Transport for LondonIn 1997, DLR Ltd commissioned consultants to undertake a study to review potential extensions to the existing network and to develop a ten-year strategy for the development of the railway. The objective was to identify schemes that were technically, financially and economically viable and capable of implementation.
The core recommendations of the study were as follows:
- Extend the DLR to London City Airport
- Further extend the City Airport line to Woolwich Arsenal – to be progressed in the context of the proposed three river crossings package; and
- Create a new DLR route from Canning Town to Stratford through conversion of the existing North London Line to DLR operation
Following this study, 1998/9 DLR Ltd developed and costed a feasible engineering alignment for a DLR extension to Woolwich Arsenal as a continuation of the proposed line to London City Airport.
The results of this work formed an input to the East London Integrated Transport Strategy (ELITS) studies being undertaken jointly by Government Office for London, Transport for London (TfL), Railtrack, and DLR Ltd. These studies compared different public transport packages for the Thames Gateway and included both a DLR and Heavy Rail scheme at Woolwich.
The opening of the Jubilee Line extension in 1999 prompted TfL, DLR and Railtrack to re-examine rail alternatives for the corridor between Stratford, the Royal Docks and Woolwich. The Stratford Woolwich Corridor Study considered alternatives that ranged from the heavy rail schemes to light rail and mixed running alternatives. The report concluded that a DLR scheme might be able to deliver many of the benefits of the heavy rail scheme at significantly lower cost and in a shorter timescale.
In May 2000, the Thames Gateway River Crossings Strategic Integration Study reviewed the previous ELITS and East Thames Area Framework (ETAF) studies together with new information, in particular relating to a DLR alternative at Woolwich. The report concluded in respect of the choice between a heavy rail or a DLR crossing at Woolwich that DLR had a more localised effect than the heavy rail scheme in terms of regeneration impact in the Thames Gateway. It also concluded that the DLR scheme had a financial and economic advantage and was capable of more rapid implementation.
In November 2000 the Mayor of London speaking at the first anniversary of DLR extension to Greenwich and Lewisham, said:
"The benefits of this river crossing have been impressive and I have already made it clear that my priority is to extend the DLR across the river again into Woolwich…I have asked DLR to complete its feasibility studies so as we do not lose valuable time".
DLR therefore began to develop the details of an extension to Woolwich Arsenal up to the level required for a Transport and Works Act Application.
The aims for the Woolwich extension are:
- To create a new link that will significantly improve access for the communities of Woolwich, Silvertown and North Woolwich, by providing an alternative crossing of the River Thames and assisting in a sustainable shift from car to public transport
- To provide a new direct rail connection from Woolwich to the City and Canary Wharf and London City Airport that will enhance access to jobs and amenities; and
- To be the catalyst for substantial regeneration of Woolwich and the Southern Royal Docks, and help to bring new jobs, homes, shops and leisure facilities to those areas
