Trains will finally run to one of London’s poorest and most isolated districts with Rachel Reeves expected to announce funding for an extension of the Docklands Light Railway at next week’s budget.
The capital’s ambition to connect Thamesmead has coincided with the chancellor’s push for growth, with the development hoped to secure thousands of new homes.
A Treasury source said Reeves would back the extension of the DLR to Thamesmead, in south-east London, in her tax and spending statement on Wednesday.
The area has long been without fixed public transport links, stalling the redevelopment of a riverside area that has now been identified as a possible site for one of the government’s new towns.
The source said the extension would “deliver much-needed new homes, new jobs, and quicker commutes – the building blocks for boosting growth, putting more pounds in pockets”.
Extending the line to Thamesmead – known as the location of the brutalist 1960s estate that appeared in Stanley Kubrick’s dystopian film A Clockwork Orange – is expected to cost about £1.7bn and has been backed by London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan.
The line would be extended from Gallions Reach, near London City airport, and include a new station at Beckton, as well as in Thamesmead itself.
Journeys from Thamesmead into the City of London currently take about an hour, and travelling to Stratford takes between 45 and 55 minutes. The new line could cut journey times into London to 35-40 minutes, and journeys to Stratford to 30 minutes.
The new line is also expected to unlock land for 25,000 new homes and up to 10,000 new jobs, along with almost £18bn of private investment in the area.
Khan said: “I’m really pleased that the government is backing the DLR extension to Thamesmead, something I’ve long called for alongside London’s businesses and communities. The project is a win-win and a massive vote of confidence in London.
“It will not only transform travel in a historically under-served part of the capital but also unlock thousands of new jobs and homes, boosting the economy not just locally but nationally.”
Located on the south bank of the river, far from the nearest road crossings, Thamesmead’s lack of trains has contributed to its status as one of London’s, if not Britain’s, most deprived areas. Previous plans that never got off the ground included potential extensions to the Jubilee tube line and London Overground.
Transport for London (TfL) drew up plans for a potential extension to the DLR in 2024. The line will include a tunnel under the River Thames and a second station past the current terminus of Beckton, to be known as Beckton Riverside.
Khan had also hoped for backing for other transport developments, notably extending the Bakerloo line past Elephant & Castle to Lewisham.
But with other projects nationwide – not least Northern Powerhouse Rail – still awaiting guaranteed government support, London will probably have to wait.
