Transport for London28/02/2006
DLR signals latest phase of Woolwich Arsenal Extension
Docklands Light Railway (DLR), part of Transport for London (TfL), today began the preparatory work for the tunnelling that will form the 2.5km, £180m Woolwich Arsenal extension.
A state-of-the-art 540-tonne boring machine was lowered into a launch chamber in North Woolwich in preparation for construction of the rail link, which will run at depths of up to 35m under the River Thames.
The extension, part of TfL's five-year £10bn investment programme, is set to open in 2009. It is being designed and constructed by AMEC for Woolwich Arsenal Rail Enterprises (WARE), a consortium of AMEC and the Royal Bank of Scotland.
The route will run from DLR King George V station to the heart of Woolwich town centre and be situated alongside Woolwich Arsenal mainline station.
Jonathan Fox, Director DLR, said: "TfL is investing £10bn over the next five years in improving and expanding London's transport network. It's great news to see work starting on this further extension to the DLR, which will serve Woolwich town centre from 2009.
"I'm sure this new extension and the Woolwich Arsenal DLR station will be a tremendous asset for London and the local community, continuing DLR's excellent record in supporting and generating London's development and growth.
"The DLR's most recent extension, to London City Airport, was completed by AMEC ahead of schedule and on budget; we are confident Woolwich Arsenal will be equally successful."
Tunnelling will begin in April and take 15 months to complete, during which time the boring machine will remove 104,000 cubic metres of material, enough to fill 40 Olympic-sized swimming pools. As advocated by the Mayor's Transport Strategy, the material will be transported via Thames' freight river barges, thus reducing the impact on London's roads.
The key benefits of the DLR Woolwich Arsenal extension will include:
• Improved transport links, connecting Woolwich to London City Airport in five minutes, Canary Wharf in 19 minutes, Stratford in 20 minutes, and Bank in 27 minutes. In the peak period, trains could leave every four minutes;
• Supporting the regeneration of Woolwich and the southern Royal Docks, through transport which can boost the creation of new jobs, homes, shops and leisure facilities along the route;
• Improved access to employment, education and leisure facilities for the communities of Woolwich, Silvertown and North Woolwich;
• Direct interchange with main line services on the North Kent line, the planned Greenwich Waterfront Transit scheme, over 100 bus routes, eight Underground lines and coach, taxi and riverboat services.
The extension will play a vital role during the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games as it will serve the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, which will hold the shooting events, and provide an important transport link and access from Woolwich and South East London to the Olympic Park and other venues.
As with the rest of the DLR network, Woolwich Arsenal station will include step-free access to platforms and trains. It will have two entrances at Greens End and Woolwich New Road.
