The Department for Transport (DfT) has consulted on proposals to extend the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) to Beckton Riverside and Thamesmead.

The package contains 2 key options: 

A cross-river DLR extension from Gallions Reach to Thamesmead via Beckton Riverside. This would connect 2 opportunity areas and 4 development sites, including:

• New DLR station at Beckton Riverside
• Tunnel under the River Thames
• New DLR station at Thamesmead

A bus transit scheme using dedicated infrastructure from Woolwich to Abbey Wood via Thamesmead.

DLR extension and bus transit would bring:

• Support for up to 25,000-30,000 potential new homes along the route;
• Better connections across the river and reduced car dependency;
• Improved direct connections to central London via the Jubilee and Elizabeth lines;
• Quicker journeys to other parts of east London like Stratford and the Isle of Dogs;
• Improvements to the bus network serving Thamesmead; and
• Improvements in walking and cycling networks in the area.

The government is to begin construction as early as 2028. This would enable it to open to customers in the early 2030s.