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Future developments
With the development of the eastern Docklands as part of the ‘Thames Gateway’ initiative and London’s successful bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics, several extensions and enhancements are under construction, being planned or being discussed:

New platforms at Stratford

 * Status - Under Construction: first replacement platform has opened

The DLR had only one narrow platform at Stratford. This limited capacity and hindered interchange with other services at this station and so two replacement platforms are being built. The last day of use of the old platform was 15th June and the first new one opened on Monday 18th June 2007 , the second being due in September 2007.

Woolwich Arsenal extension

 * Status - Under Construction

An extension of the London City Airport branch from King George V to Woolwich Arsenal is under construction. This requires a second DLR tunnel crossing of the River Thames. The projected cost of £150 million is being met by Private Finance Initiative funding. Construction began in June 2005 and is due to be completed in February 2009.

Langdon Park station

 * Status - Under Construction

A station at Langdon Park between All Saints and Devons Road is under construction. Work started on 17 November 2006 and if it is completed on schedule it will open towards the very end of 2007. The construction work means that the services between Poplar and Stratford are sometimes suspended at weekends.

Upgrading Bank - Lewisham route to 3-car trains

 * Status - Contract let

The stations between Bank station and Lewisham station will be upgraded to allow operation of 3-car trains to increase capacity. More frequent trains were considered as an alternative, but it was found that the necessary signalling changes would be as expensive as upgrading to handle longer trains but would provide fewer benefits.

It is expected that the work will be carried out during 2007-2009 - the awarding of the £200m contract was confirmed on 3 May 2007. The work involves the lengthening of platforms on most stations (except Bank), together with viaduct-strengthening works. Most of this section dates from the initial system originally built for single-car operation. South Quay station will have to be moved as nearby curves preclude lengthening. Because of the cost and the risk to nearby historic buildings, the underground Cutty Sark station will not be extended. Instead, use of Selective Door Operation (SDO) has been approved by the Railway Inspectorate at this station.

Other stations affected
Although not on the Bank - Lewisham route, two other stations are included in the plans so as to improve operational flexibility. Poplar station has already been lengthened in advance of the work elsewhere to confirm that the proposed method of construction is satisfactory. Tower Gateway is due to be converted from its current two-track terminal layout into a single longer platform. However the exact details of the Tower Gateway work are under review.

Stratford International extension / North London Line conversion

 * Status - First of three contracts let 

On October 25 2006, permission was granted for this extension from Canning Town to the new Stratford International station, taking over the North London Line infrastructure (which closed on December 9 2006) and linking the Docklands area with domestic and international high-speed services on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.

Four new stations will be built: Star Lane (formerly known as Cody Road), Abbey Road, Stratford High Street (formerly known as Stratford Market) and Stratford International. The branch will also serve London Underground and National Rail stations at West Ham and Stratford. All stations will be able to accommodate 3-car trains. The North London Line will terminate at Stratford in new platforms.

As part of the Transport & Works Act (TWA) application, the DLR station at Royal Victoria on the Beckton branch will be extended to accommodate 3-car trains. It will have a third platform, which becomes possible because the part of the abandoned section of North London Line ran parallel to Royal Victoria station.

The first contract for construction work was awarded on the 10th January 2007 and construction work is expected to start in mid 2007. The extension is projected to open early in 2010 and is an important part of the transport improvement package for the 2012 Olympic Games, which will largely be held on a site adjoining Stratford International.

Upgrading other lines to 3-car trains

 * ''Status - Transport & Works Act applied for

When the work to allow 3-car trains between Bank and Lewisham is complete, the only parts of the network unable to handle longer trains will be between Poplar and Stratford, and between Poplar and Beckton. There is therefore a proposal to upgrade the remainder of the line, with the aim of carrying out the work between 2008 and 2010. As part of this, it is proposed to improve the junction north of West India Quay, which would preclude services on the Bank to Lewisham route from stopping at West India Quay. This would also allow services from Beckton and Woolwich to terminate at Canary Wharf or Lewisham.

Dagenham Dock extension

 * Status - In consultation phase, route safeguarded - 2016

This is a proposed extension from Gallions Reach to Dagenham Dock via the riverside at Barking. This would connect the Barking Reach area, a formerly industrial area now undergoing major redevelopment as part of the London Riverside, with the Docklands. This new route would cover major developments at Creekmouth, Barking Riverside, Dagenham Dock Opportunity Area, and five stations have been planned at Beckton Riverside, Creekmouth, Barking Riverside, Dagenham Vale and Dagenham Dock. The extension is key if English Partnerships' plan is to work. As shown in DLR's first consultation leaflet, there are plans for the DLR to extend further than Dagenham Dock, possibly to Dagenham Heathway or Rainham.

In the consultation document the proposed timetable suggests work commencing in 2011 and an opening date of 2016. Mayor Ken Livingstone was keen to have the extension open before the 2012 Olympic Games. However, the consultation on the route only began in January 2007 and as the demand for construction work leading up to the games will be considerable, it is unlikely that major work will begin on this until after the games.

DLR recently started the second phase of Consultation

Thames Wharf station

 * Status - Proposed

This station had been included as potential future development on the London City Airport extension since it was first planned. It would be between Canning Town and West Silvertown, due west of the western end of Royal Victoria Dock. Since the station's intended purpose is to serve the surrounding area (currently a mix of brownfield and run-down industrial sites) when it is regenerated, the development is indefinitely on hold due to the area being safeguarded for the Silvertown Link, a new Thames river crossing proposed for opening by 2015.

Connaught Road / Silvertown Interchange station

 * Status - Proposed

A site near to London City Airport has been identified as a possible additional station on the London City Airport extension. It would be a possible interchange with Crossrail, between London City Airport and Pontoon Dock. However, no plans have emerged as to when this station is to be planned and built. The original extension was designed to allow a station to be built here. It may be located south of the Connaught Crossing.

Charing Cross extension

 * Status - Proposed - 2026

In February 2006 a proposal to extend the DLR to Charing Cross station from Bank DLR branch was revealed. The idea, originating from a DLR "Horizon Study", is at a very early stage at the moment, but would involve extending the line from Bank in bored tunnels under Central London to the Charing Cross Jubilee line platforms, which would be brought back to public use. These platforms are now on a spur off the current Jubilee line and are not used by passenger trains.

While not confirmed it is probable that the scheme would also use the existing overrun tunnels between the Charing Cross Jubilee platforms and a location slightly to the west of Aldwych. These tunnels were intended to be incorporated into the abandoned Phase 2 of the Fleet Line (Phase 1 became the original Jubilee Line, prior to the Jubilee Line Extension). However they would need some enlargement because DLR gauge is larger than tube gauge and current safety regulations would require an emergency walkway to be provided in the tunnel.

The two reasons driving the proposal are capacity problems at Bank, having basically one interchange between the DLR and the central portion of Underground, and the difficult journeys faced by passengers from Kent and South Coast between their rail termini and the DLR. Intermediate stations would be at Aldwych, for future connection with the Cross River Tram and Charing Cross, and at City Thameslink.

Works contingent on Crossrail

 * Status - Proposed

If Crossrail is approved some of the track between Bow Church and Stratford would need to be moved to the south. The opportunity would then be taken to double the track throughout and eliminate the only significant section of single track on the system.

The current route projections for the cross-London Crossrail Line 1 entail interchanges with the DLR at Custom House, Stratford, and the provision for interchanges at West India Quay (with Crossrail Isle of Dogs station) and London City Airport (with Crossrail Silvertown station). Another option would be to provide an interchange with a possible new station on the DLR (see Connaught Road/Silvertown Interchange station section above).

Lewisham to Catford extension

 * Status - Proposed - 2026

This extension was looked at during the latest Horizon Study. The route would follow the Southeastern line and terminate between Catford station and Catford Bridge station. However early plans showed problems due to Lewisham DLR station being only marginally higher than the busy A20 road which impedes any proposed extension. The plan is however being revised. When the Lewisham extension was first completed there were proposals to continue further to Beckenham to link it up with the Tramlink system. However, the way in which Lewisham DLR was built impeded this possible extension and would prove costly to redevelop.