The Docklands Light Railway extension to Dagenham Dock was a proposed extension of the

Docklands Light Railway The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is an automated light metro system serving the redeveloped Docklands area of London, England and provides a direct connection between London's two major financial districts, Canary Wharf and the City of Londo ...

Dagenham Dock Dagenham Dock is a place in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham in London, England. It is located to the south of Dagenham and on the River Thames. It was once the site of a large coaling port and continues to be the location of a small t ...

in East London, to serve the

Barking Riverside Barking Riverside is a mixed-use development in the area of Barking, east London, England, within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. It is being built on land formerly occupied by Barking Power Station, adjacent to the River Thames, and ...

development and the wider

Thames Gateway Thames Gateway is a term applied to an area around the Thames Estuary in the context of discourse around regeneration and further urbanisation. The term was first coined by the UK government and applies to an area of land stretching east from ...

area. First proposed in 2003, it was anticipated that the project could be completed and open for use by 2017,Transport for London
Docklands Light Railway - Dagenham Dock: Key Project Milestones
at a cost of around £750m. In November 2008, the

Mayor of London The mayor of London is the chief executive of the Greater London Authority. The role was created in 2000 after the 1998 Greater London Authority referendum, Greater London devolution referendum in 1998, and was the first Directly elected may ...

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...

announced that due to financial constraints the extension, along with a number of other transport projects, had been cancelled. The Barking Riverside development is now served by an extension of the

London Overground London Overground (also known simply as the Overground) is a Urban rail in the United Kingdom, suburban rail network serving London and its environs. Established in 2007 to take over Silverlink Metro routes, (via archive.org). it now serves a ...

to a new station at

which opened in July 2022. Costing around £325m, the Overground extension cost around half as much as the DLR extension.

Proposed route and stations

The proposed route would have diverged from the Beckton branch at

Gallions Reach Gallions Reach is a stretch of the River Thames between Woolwich and Thamesmead. The area is named for the Galyons, a 14th-century family who owned property along this stretch of the river,Hidden London http://hidden-london.com/gazetteer/ga ...

station in the

London Borough of Newham The London Borough of Newham is a London borough created in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. It covers an area previously administered by the Essex county boroughs of West Ham and East Ham, authorities that were both abolished by the s ...

. It would have followed the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

north bank, crossing the mouth of the

River Roding The River Roding () rises at Molehill Green, Essex, England, then flows south through Essex and London and forms Barking Creek as it reaches the River Thames. Course The river leaves Molehill Green and passes through or near a group of eight o ...

in a bored tunnel south of the Barking Flood Barrier. Here the route would have entered the

London Borough of Barking and Dagenham The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham () is a London borough in East London. It lies around 9 miles (14.4 km) east of Central London. It is an Outer London borough and the south is within the London Riverside section of the Thames G ...

, following the

on a viaduct before heading northwards to reach Goresbrook and Dagenham Dock.Transport for London
Docklands Light Railway - Dagenham Dock
It was envisaged that four new stations would be built, with additional platforms at the existing

c2c Trenitalia c2c Limited,Companies House extract company no 789726 ...

station at . The 2007 consultation noted that the DLR could be extended further from Dagenham Dock, such as north towards Dagenham Heathway or east towards Rainham. The

supported these additional extensions, provided it could be achieved without negatively impacting on existing infrastructure in the area.

Project development

The extension of the DLR was first proposed in 2003 as part of the

project. In 2007 a number of route options went to public consultation, with a decision made in November. An application for a Transport and Works Act order was made during 2008. A

public inquiry A tribunal of inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body. In many common law countries, such as the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, Australia and Canada, such a public inquiry differs from a royal ...

was due to take place but this was postponed, following the announcement by

in November 2008 that the project had been cancelled. Following the cancellation of the extension, Transport for London assessed various options to bring transport links to

, including the previously proposed DLR extension - as planning regulations limit the number of homes to 1,200 until adequate public transport is provided. Subsequently, the Gospel Oak to Barking Line of the

was extended from

Barking Barking may refer to: Places * Barking, London, a town in East London, England ** London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, a local government district covering the town of Barking ** Municipal Borough of Barking, a historical local government dist ...

to a new station in Barking Riverside to serve the area. This opened in July 2022, at a cost of around £325m.

References

{{Proposed rail infrastructure projects in the United Kingdom Proposed railway lines in London Transport in the London Borough of Newham Transport in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Thames Gateway Docklands Light Railway