DLR Thamesmead extension Consultation

[DynamicSpirit]

Well, especially since the buses were intended to be a tram which would give a faster and more useful service to the wider area from Ilford down to the Riverside, but it was descoped and the EL-series buses take ages to actually get to the station.

Indeed. The proposed (if I recall correctly) Ilford-Bexleyheath [*] DLR line would have been absolutely transformational. Unfortunately, it would've been very expensive to build and TfL doesn't have that kind of money floating around

[*] Personally I'd have been slightly more ambitious and started it from Newbury Park, using old passenger route to Ilford.

 

[AlastairFraser]

Indeed. The proposed (if I recall correctly) Ilford-Bexleyheath [*] DLR line would have been absolutely transformational. Unfortunately, it would've been very expensive to build and TfL doesn't have that kind of money floating around

[*] Personally I'd have been slightly more ambitious and started it from Newbury Park, using old passenger route to Ilford.

I don't think it was DLR, I thought it was more traditional light rail like Croydon Tramlink.
But, yes, it's a huge loss - now, if they'd built that instead of Silvertown tunnel!

 

[DynamicSpirit]

I don't think it was DLR, I thought it was more traditional light rail like Croydon Tramlink.
But, yes, it's a huge loss - now, if they'd built that instead of Silvertown tunnel!

After reading that I was curious enough to poke around in my copies of the documents TfL sent out in 2015 when they were working on river crossings proposals, and found this, which seems to imply at least one of their proposals was for a DLR line - though it's possible they may have also considered a tram line, as this was presented as just one of several options and I can't recall what the others were.




(Image shows a map produced by TfL around - as I recall - 2015 showing a proposed DLR line Ilford->Barking->Gallions Reach->Thamesmead->Abbey Wood->Bexleyheath Station->Bexleyheath Town Centre, which they released as one possible option for new Thames river crossings in the area).

 

[AlastairFraser]

After reading that I was curious enough to poke around in my copies of the documents TfL sent out in 2015 when they were working on river crossings proposals, and found this, which seems to imply at least one of their proposals was for a DLR line - though it's possible they may have also considered a tram line, as this was presented as just one of several options and I can't recall what the others were.


View attachment 152841

Interesting. I remember the ELT lines being indicated as a tram on a London 2050 transit map that circulated around, but marked separately from a "Greenwich Waterfront Transit" south of the Thames.

Found it - it was on a 2004 image created to show TfL's prediction for a 2016 tube map.
Apologies for the poor resolution, but here it is.