TfL show future Thamesmead DLR station
Transport for London have revealed images of a possible future Thamesmead DLR station.
The station would be located near a McDonald’s on what is the current Cannon Retail Park. If you know Thamesmead this is where KFC is located and close to B&M, McDonalds and Aldi.
I popped over to the site today to take some photos of the site. The retail park on site has long struggled to attract business. It currently has a gym and B&M within units while others are empty.
Back in the 1990s there were grand plans for the area with a cinema, homes and much else. Before that in the 1960s a marina was proposed.
The transport link is proposed as part of a “new town” with Peabody at its core. Yep, the same Peabody who aren’t building on various long vacant sites in south Thamesmead near Abbey Wood station which has far better transport links compared to any north Thamesmead DLR, with the Elizabeth line, Southeastern Metro and Thameslink all within walking distance of long empty sites.
Funding
As for the DLR there’s been news this week that Chancellor Rachel Reeves is looking at creating a Public Private Partnership for new towns.
Those of us who have seen how the PPP worked with previous DLR extensions may shudder.
The Lewisham extension which opened in 1999 was built using a PPP scheme. It wasn’t maintained particularly well and when it reverted to TfL management they discovered escalators at Cutty Sark were clapped out.
Hence the nine month closure of the station last year.
As for the DLR to north Thamesmead I’ve long covered how it has *many* flaws. It doesn’t serve much of Thamesmead (it’s a huge, sprawling town), doesn’t link to the Elizabeth line at Abbey Wood nor will it extend to other areas designated as major growth area and so how many people will ever use the DLR?
Attractive option?
I’ve lived, worked and spent many years across Thamesmead and Abbey Wood. I wouldn’t use the DLR as planned unless I lived within a five minute walk. I’d go to Abbey Wood every single time – or Woolwich if closer to west Thamesmead.
It’s far faster, more frequent and offers many more destinations – and even from north Thamesmead you can reach Abbey Wood or Woolwich in five minutes.
Most new housing won’t be within five minutes walk let alone the homes in the rest of the town.
TfL state the option had popular support but if you submitted a reply to the consultation it was along the line of “does Thamesmead need better transport”. Well, yes! Ok great well you support this option. A typical consultation designed to get the pre-ordained response.
Some people and certain media outlets who have never been to Thamesmead in their life – and have zero idea about the local area and housing plans – then rehash TfL’s line. Nice for TfL to have compliant outlets who don;t know Thamesmead.
But then again it’s always been a town little known by many, and that goes on today.
Anyway, regardless of whether it’s the best option for Thamesmead or not, if Peabody are taking the lead with new housing expect very little to be built.
Whilst I’m a big fan of both public transport infrastructure AND new housing this scheme is a bit of a dog. I used to work for Galleons and know Thamesmead extremely well and in fact did a lot of work looking into north Thamesmead development options and agree this project won’t benefit many who will still seek the far better transport options provided at Abbey Wood. That’s what people want to reach. They did before Crossrail and they certainly do now. This project is all rather odd and if it’s to be built and funded via PPP even more reason to bin it. Sadly too many vested interests who know little about the town. We used to deal with them often, from MPs to councils to the Mayor’s office. Baffling ignorance of Thamesmead was evident across the spectrum which always led to sub-optimal ideas from those above. This is the biggest yet.
A dlr to Beckton would link thamesmead to that side and the riverboat.
Why would someone use a pricier service that takes longer if not for whimsy?
Lizzy line, standard trains and buses will get you woolwich and then on to inner city London. So it seems a bit of a waste.
Maybe it’s the tagline on the incumbent new builds? ” 2 min walk from DLR” “4 min walk from Morrisons ” . But it, at this point, quite literally would be a midnight train going no where rather than anywhere. UNLESS. It cuts through West Thamesmead. UNLESS it links to Lizzy line in Abbey Wood.
Else what’s the point in it? Will just go digging in Twin Tumps , needing special costly excavation costs following previous placement of munitions and rubbish in that corner of Thamesmead. Would do the residents of Waterside close such good. Plus possible evacuation of 2 secondary schools and the humble retail park with 2 major supermarkets……….
The much touted public support via the consultations does my head in. Every person I’ve talked to about the plans are enthusiastic at first until you explain exactly what is actually planned and then every single one flips to thinking it pointless. OK, not completely pointless, we’ll be able to pop over to Beckton for a coffee much easier. Big win that…
TfL are still lying in this consultation about travel options and times. They state Thamesmead is *one hour* from the City. It’s never been one hour even back in the 1980s and it’s far quicker now. Even the furthest parts from existing stations nearby are six minutes on a bus to Abbey Wood or Woolwich Elizabeth line stations, a five minute change onto a frequent Lizzie train which reaches Liverpool Street in 15-20 minutes. Total journey times is 30 minutes right now. The DLR plan is not quicker! People won’t use it when the better option exists so enhance links to it.
Considering South Eastern trains the City is 31 minutes from Abbey Wood and 27 minutes from Woolwich by going to Cannon Street. So from Thamesmead that’s also not one hour TfL claim. SouthEastern service frequency on the line is higher than the DlR plan.
Abbey wood and Woolwich will still be the places people want to go. Unless DLR goes there it’s a bust for most.
If TfL are so willing to lie about this which is patently wrong and easy to find out who can believe them on timescales, costs and much else? They are deliberately making things seem worse than it is right now to justify a flawed project. So much better could be achieved with transport in the area for the £1.5bn+ cost.
I still think that the DLR Thamesmead extension does get given the go ahead. I think that Thamesmead would appreciate it when the Docklands Light Railway is extended to Thamesmead.
My suggestion is that the DLR Thamesmead extension should be given the go ahead anyway. And with new B23 Stock trains should be in service about now since they have been delayed.
Interesting to see deep within the consultation docs that the turnback west of Custom House has quietly been scrapped. Which means capacity on this branch will be stunted from day 1 – it’s mentioned it will support a frequency of a train every 8-10 minutes (i.e. 6 to 7.5tph); this is half of what is currently going from Woolwich Arsenal for example, and in peak times about the same as the combined wait for an SL11 and then an Elizabeth line train. Part of the rationale for not having the Overground extended below Barking Riverside was that it could only deliver 4tph…
Oh wow the turnback is cut? That makes a poor project even worse as it’ll limit frequencies. The focus as ever in Thamesmead should be linking to AbbeyWood rather than over the river to Beckton where there’s next to nothing there. No interchange or anything. By the time an interchange is met at Custom House may as well have just gone to Abbey wood anyway.
I do think that Thamesmead does need a new transport for people to commute into Central London much quicker and easier. Than having to use drive, use the bus or walk to the nearest railway station. Especially Abbey Wood that the Elizabeth Line ends at Abbey Wood. And is to the south of Thamesmead. Unless the DLR does extend south to Abbey Wood.