List of Docklands Light Railway stations
The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is an automated light rail system in the United Kingdom that serves the London Docklands area of east and south-east London operated by Transport for London (TfL).
Construction of the DLR was a key component in the regeneration of large parts of the London Docklands from disused industrial land into valuable commercial and residential districts. The first part of the system opened in 1987 initially serving 15 stations utilising a combination of redundant railway infrastructure and new construction. The network has been progressively extended and the capacity of its trains expanded so that now nearly 70 million journeys made every year.[1] Stations are located in the City of London and the four boroughs of Newham, Tower Hamlets, Greenwich and Lewisham with the majority of the network to the north of the River Thames.
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[edit] History
[edit] Background
For over 200 years London's docks and wharfs thrived on imperial commerce. From the Pool of London and St Katharine Docks close to the Tower of London They grew eastwards along both sides of the River Thames to include London Docks, Surrey Docks, Limehouse Dock, West India Docks, Millwall Dock, East India Docks and the three Royal Docks, eventually extending to Barking and becoming the world's largest port. The docks stimulated and supported an extensive network of industrial enterprise such as ship repair, heavy engineering, food processing, warehousing and distribution plus industries based on imported raw materials, particularly tobacco, timber and skins. The expansion of the docks culminated with the King George V Dock, opened by the King himself in 1921. In the 1930s, the docks were at their peak, employing hundreds of thousands of people, but technological and managerial changes as well as changing patterns of trade led to a gradual decline after World War II. The government started to look at the implications and consequences of possible closures and alternative uses.[2]
In 1962, The Rochdale Report was published which was especially concerned with the London Docks and St Katherine Docks. It recognised that whilst activities at the Docks were useful, the traffic could be developed elsewhere in the Port or especially at Tilbury Docks. The Docks could be filled in and used for storage and warehouses could be used by Private Enterprise.[2] After extensive review, the Port of London Authority decided that that the smaller up-stream docks were commercially unviable and closures began in 1967 with East India Dock and and 1968 with St Katherine Dock, London Docks and Surrey Docks. Other docks were under serious threat. Between 1966 and 1976, the workforce in the five boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Newham, Southwark, Lewisham and Greenwich was reduced by 20 per cent by the PLA. The overall objective of the closures was to concentrate resources on of Tilbury Docks downstream for containerisation and the accommodating of larger ships therefore profitable bulk cargoes in the Lower Thames Estuary.[2][3] A five year phased project was set up in 1970 by the PLA to close more upper docks and berths. Competition from air traffic and European ports also contributed to the decline of trade within the London Docklands until only the Royal Docks remained in operation. These too closed in 1981.[2][3]
A report published in 1973 by the London Docklands Study Team saw future demand for better transport in the Isle of Dogs. An early suggestion was an underground line, but it was thought that there was insufficient demand. The idea was revived in 1976, but put on hold by Norman Fowler in 1979 in favour of lower cost alternatives. In 1974, the Docklands Joint Committee was formed from the five dockland boroughs and the Greater London Council (GLC), with the plan to redevelop the London Docklands with new industry and housing as quickly as possible. Throughout the 1970s, various light rail options were proposed. A later recommendation was that of an automatic light rail option from Aldgate East to the Isle of Dogs and finally to Beckton. As an alternative to the east-west route, a cheaper north-south route from the Isle of Dogs was consider, but later forecasts of population and employment growth, coupled with the absence of any connection to the south of the river showed that both routes were needed.[3][4] The London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC), formed in 1981 with responsibility to regenerate the whole area, helped to speed up the process.[4]
In June 1982, a report published by the GLC, LDDC and various other authorities recommended the construction of two light rail routes from the City of London to the Isle of Dogs and Mile End to the Isle of Dogs. Funding was promised within three months for the Docklands Light Railway. Later £77 million was approved to be spent by 1987.[3][4] In the mid-1980s it was found that the original plan to run at street level along the A11 to Mile End could not be achieved, so an alternative route was found along a railway cutting north to Stratford. This provided better transport connections and the line could use a disused platform at Stratford station.[4]
[edit] Opening and extensions
The system from Tower Gateway and Stratford to Island Gardens opened on 31 August 1987 with 15 stations. The tracks used a combination of redundant and new viaducts and underused railway routes.[4] The station at Canary Wharf did not open until 1991 as the first sections of the Canary Wharf development were still under construction.[5] Sites for two further stations were safeguarded for future development at Carmen Street (later Langdon Park) and Pudding Mill Lane, the latter of which was to be located on a passing loop on the Stratford branch.[5] The extension to Beckton opened on 28 March 1994.[4]
In 1997 the DLR commissioned a 'Horizon Study' into the possible expansion of the DLR network as there were still significant transport gaps. One of the planned extensions was from Canning Town to a site in North Woolwich. Among the options considered were North Woolwich station and a site near King George V Dock. The development of Silvertown and North Woolwich and the projected expansion of London City Airport users, led to this line being planned as well as a possible extension to Woolwich Arsenal.[4] The branch opened all the way to King George V station on 2 December 2005,[6] with Woolwich Arsenal opening on 10 January 2009.[7] On this branch, a station site has been safeguarded at Thames Wharf whilst the area awaits redevelopment.[4]
With plans being developed for regeneration around Stratford International station and the expansion of London City Airport, connecting the two along the North London Line route via Canning Town was investigated. Whilst it was acknowledged that the Jubilee Line already ran over part of the route between Canning Town and Stratford, it was seen that the DLR link would be valuable and that it could connect with Stratford International at a low cost and with less difficulty if the North London Line was closed and converted for DLR use between Stratford and Canning Town.[4] The North London Line closed between Stratford and North Woolwich in 2006,[8] and the extension is planned to open during the Summer of 2011 with the former North London line platforms at West Ham and Stratford rebuilt for DLR trains and new DLR stations opened along the route at Star Lane, Abbey Road, Stratford High Street and Stratford International.[9] A further station between Stratford and Stratford International was proposed at Carpenters Road.[4]
Tower Gateway station was seen as a interim solution to serve the City within the original £77 million budget. Almost immediately, it became apparent that two-car trains stopping at short platforms would not be able to cope with the projected 50,000 people working in the Canary Wharf development. This had been originally done as a cost-cutting measure. £276 million was eventually spent on upgrading the signalling, lengthening the platforms and providing an extension to Bank, which was later built in 1991.[3][4] When the system opened, the section south of Crossharbour station followed a disused railway embankment of the Millwall Extension Railway. It ran on this route beside East Ferry Road to a point where it diverged east on to a new bridge to accommodate Mudchute station before returning to the railway's 1872 single-track viaduct through Millwall Park to a terminus at Island Gardens.[4] For the £200 million DLR extension under the River Thames to Lewisham, the route south of Crossharbour was replaced with a new alignment which allowed the tracks to connect to the tunnel under the river. Mudchute and Island Gardens stations were resited on to the new route, with Island Gardens being constructed underground.[3][4] Canning Town station was resited to accommodate the Jubilee line extension.[10] South Quay was resited in 2009 to accommodate the adoption of three car trains across the network. The original site had sharp curves at each end making extension in its original location impossible.[11]
An extension to Dagenham Dock has been proposed, but is currently unfunded.[12] Another previous proposal was an extension to Thamesmead.[4] These were to both start from just east of Gallions Reach on the Beckton branch.[4][12] Consideration has been given to an extension west from Bank station to the disused Jubilee line platforms at Charing Cross.[13]
[edit] Stations and routes
This list includes all current stations on the Docklands Light Railway. Listed for each station is the branch or branches it is on, the local authority and London Travelcard zone in which it is located,[note 1] interchanges with other modes of transport, the opening date and any resiting.
Four stations have direct interchanges with London Underground lines: Bank (Central, Circle, District, Northern and Waterloo & City), Canning Town (Jubilee), West Ham (Hammersmith & City and District lines) and Stratford (Central and Jubilee). There are also indirect interchanges at Canary Wharf and Heron Quays (for Jubilee line from Canary Wharf), Bow Church (for District and Hammersmith & City lines from Bow Road) and Tower Gateway (for Circle and District lines from Tower Hill). In addition, there are interchanges with London Overground at Stratford (direct) and Shadwell (indirect). Seven stations provide an interchange with the National Rail network: Greenwich, Lewisham, Limehouse, Woolwich Arsenal, Stratford, West Ham and Stratford International.
[edit] List
[edit] Notes
- ^ The Docklands Light Railway shares with the London Underground a system of nine concentric zones for the calculation of fares between stations. Fares between any station in one zone and any station in another are the same, irrespective of the start and end points of the journey or the route used. This now also applies to National Rail stations within the zones with the use of the Oyster Card.
- ^ Branches are named here after their terminal station. Trains are usually identified by their ultimate destination.
- ^ Names listed here are both those that have been proposed before opening or if the station has been renamed since.
[edit] See also
- List of London railway stations
- List of London Underground stations
- List of former and unopened London Underground stations
- Category:Railway stations in London by borough
[edit] References
- ^ "Docklands Light Railway". Transport for London. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/modesoftransport/1530.aspx. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
- ^ a b c d Turlik, Peter (1997). Initiating Urban Change: London Docklands before LDDC. London Docklands Development Corporation. ISBN 0-95311-141-5. http://www.lddc-history.org.uk/beforelddc/index.html.
- ^ a b c d e f g Clayton, Antony (2000). Subterranean City: Beneath the Streets of London. Historical Publications. pp. 164–179. ISBN 0-94866-769-9.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk Pearce, Alan; Hardy, Brian; Stannard, Colin (2000). Docklands Light Railway Official Handbook (4 ed.). Capital Transport. pp. 4–15, 17–25, 28–31, 62–63, 75–79. ISBN 1-85414-223-2.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Grant, Cynthia (1997). Starting from Scratch: The Development of Transport in London Docklands. London Docklands Development Corporation. ISBN 0-95311-140-7. http://www.lddc-history.org.uk/transport/tranmon3.html.
- ^ a b c d e "DLR extension to airport is open". BBC News. 6 December 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4500220.stm. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
- ^ a b "Mayor opens new docklands station". BBC News. 12 January 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7824131.stm. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Brown, Joe (2009). London Railway Atlas (2nd ed.). Ian Allan Publishing. pp. 22–25, 33–35, 57–58. ISBN 978-0-7110-3397-9.
- ^ "Docklands Light Railway - Stratford International". Transport for London. http://developments.dlr.co.uk/current/extensions/stratford/stations/. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
- ^ a b c Powell, Kenneth (2000). The Jubilee Line Extension. Laurence King. pp. 130–131. ISBN 1-85669-184-5.
- ^ a b "DLR station 'moves' at the weekend". Transport for London. 26 October 2009. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/static/corporate/media/newscentre/archive/13378.html. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
- ^ a b "Docklands Light Railway - Dagenham Dock". Transport for London. http://developments.dlr.co.uk/current/extensions/dagenham/background/. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
- ^ Ove Arup & Partners (July 2005). DLR Horizon 2020 Study. pp. 34–38, 66. http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/18439/response/46991/attach/4/Report%20Horizon%202020%20Final%20Issue.pdf. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
- ^ "London Connections". Association of Train Operating Companies. http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/passenger_services/maps/London_Connections.pdf. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f "Docklands Light Railway extension marks one year to go to the London 2012 Paralympic Games". Transport for London. 31 August 2011. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/20862.aspx. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f "New £211m DLR extension connecting Olympic venues opens". BBC News. 31 August 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-14727813. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
- ^ a b c Report of the Boundary Commissioners for England and Wales – Poplar: Divisions of New Borough (Map}. Eyre and Spottiswoode. 1885. http://www.londonancestor.com/maps/bc-poplar-n.htm. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
- ^ Day, John R; Reed, John (2008) [1963]. The Story of London's Underground. Capital Transport. p. 198. ISBN 978-1-85414-316-7.
- ^ Dynes, Michael (29 July 1991). "On the right lines for the Nineties; London Docklands" (Subscription required). The Times. http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T004&prodId=SPN.SP00&docId=CJ116705107&source=gale&srcprod=SP00&userGroupName=kccl&version=1.0. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
- ^ a b c d e "DLR history timeline". Transport for London. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/modesoftransport/dlr/history/2982.aspx. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
- ^ Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 52. ISBN 1-8526-0508-1. OCLC 60251199.
- ^ "Mayor unveils new London station". BBC News. 10 December 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7136024.stm. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
- ^ Harris, Cyril M. (2004). What's in a name? (4 ed.). Capital Transport. p. 82. ISBN 1-85414-241-0.
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