The Stratford International extension: Building for the future

Transport for London’s Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is in the final stage of construction of its newest extension, northwards from London’s Canning Town station to Stratford International, the new High Speed 1 station, which is situated in what will be the heart of the Olympic Park. For Intelligent Transport, DLR Director, Jonathan Fox, tells us some of the key information about the new extension.

“The DLR extension to Stratford International, planned to open in late summer 2010, will meet the growing demand of public transport in the local area and provide a vital connection for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” states Jonathan.

A key transport link in East London

There are many different aims of the DLR Stratford International extension. It is to act as a catalyst for regeneration in the Lower Lea Valley, bringing forward new jobs, homes, shops and other leisure facilities to the area. It will provide improved public transport capacity, reliability, accessibility and frequency on the corridor between Stratford and Canning Town by converting the North London line to DLR use. It will enable people to take advantage of employment opportunities and amenities in the Lea Valley and other parts of east and south-east London through direct connections to the Royal Docks and Woolwich Arsenal. The extension will create intermediate stations on the line to serve existing and future communities and provide a new link to Stratford International to serve high-speed train services calling at this station. It will offer passengers an environmentally friendly alternative to the car and significantly improve orbital journey opportunities between north, north-east, east and south-east London, and the extension will meet the travel demands associated with the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

DLR development

In 1997, DLR undertook a strategic ‘Horizon’ study to review potential extensions to the existing network and to develop a strategy for the development of the railway. The objective was to identify schemes that were technically, financially and economically viable and capable of implementation. The core recommendations of the study were to:

• Extend the DLR to London City Airport
• Further extend the City Airport line to Woolwich Arsenal
• Create a new DLR route from Canning Town to Stratford through conversion of the existing North London line to DLR operation

Jonathan says the final recommendation became the Stratford International extension. “It is pleasing to see that each of the three key recommendations from the long term planning work conducted over 10 years ago have now become a reality. The area that DLR serves has grown phenomenally in the last decade and it has been fantastic to see the railway expand with the development that has taken place in the area.” He continues: “The Stratford International extension, our first extension north, completes DLR’s growth around the points of the compass, that is, south (Lewisham in 1999); west (Bank in 1991); and east (Beckton in 1994, London City Airport in 2005 and Woolwich Arsenal in 2009).”

Planning the Stratford International extension

Following the results of the ‘Horizon’ report, the then Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) instructed DLR to undertake studies of the feasibility of an extension serving the proposed Stratford International station on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.

In December 1998, DLR Ltd commissioned Maunsell Ltd to establish the optimum route and prepare outline engineering designs for the proposed extension, and to allow for possible future extensions, taking into account engineering, timescale and financial factors.

In June 2002, DLR initiated a review of previous demand modelling and appraisal work for the extension. The work incorporated the latest views and strategic thoughts emerging about development on both the Railway Lands (a large scale mixed use development planned between Stratford station and the planned Stratford International station) and the Arc of Opportunity corridor (an identified regeneration zone which runs from Stratford to Canning Town).

In late 2003, DLR and the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) commissioned a joint study to review options for the future operation of the North London line. In July 2004, DLR received the Government’s support to pursue plans for the conversion of the North London line between Canning Town and Stratford to DLR operation.

A Transport and Works Act (TWA) sub­mission was made on 31 August 2005 and the decision was confirmed on 25 October 2006.

Building the Stratford International extension

A Skanska GrantRail joint venture, now known as Skanska VolkerRail (SVRJV), successfully won the main civil engineering and track con­struction contracts to build the Stratford International extension. The contract for enabling works was awarded in January 2007 and the contract for the main construction works was awarded in June 2007.

SVRJV’s works include the conversion of the former North London line track from Stratford to Canning Town to DLR operation; the con­struction of a new DLR link between Stratford and Stratford International; the conversion of the former North London line stations at Canning Town, West Ham and Stratford to DLR operation; the construction of new stations at Star Lane, Abbey Road, Stratford High Street and Stratford International; building of a new station terminus for London Overground services to Richmond (this work has now been completed and the new platforms opened to the public in April 2009); to connect the new DLR extension to a new signalling system and a slight track adjustment to the High Meads Loop freight line.

Construction is also complete on a new fly-over viaduct at the Canning Town junction. Located immediately east of Canning Town station, the fly-over will allow trains to operate between Stratford International and Beckton/Woolwich Arsenal, and between Beckton and Tower Gateway, and Woolwich Arsenal and Bank without conflicting paths at Canning Town. The new fly-over viaduct was built by Taylor Woodrow Construction in 2009.

Work is now well underway on station construction for the extension, with completion due in spring 2010. Signalling works will then continue alongside train testing before the extension opens in late summer.

Station-by-station

The Stratford International extension consists of seven stations between Canning Town and Stratford International. The former North London line platforms at Canning Town, West Ham and Stratford are being converted to DLR operation.

Four new DLR stations are under con­struction at:

• Star Lane
• Abbey Road
• Stratford High Street
• Stratford International

All stations will be fully accessible for mobility-impaired passengers with lifts, ramped areas and step-free access to trains.

Canning Town station

The former North London line platforms at Canning Town station have been converted to DLR use. A new lift is being installed and a new entrance from the platforms to the Jubilee line ticket hall is now under construction.

Star Lane station

Star Lane station will use an island platform, accessed from Star Lane and Stephenson Street via a fully accessible footbridge. The existing footbridge was removed in August 2008, and the new replacement footbridge will open in late summer 2010 at the same time as the new station.

West Ham station

The island platform, formerly part of the North London line, has been widened for DLR use and linked to the existing station with stairs from the concourse and an additional lift.

Abbey Road station

The station concourse access will be from Abbey Road via two lifts and stairs with a secondary access onto Bakers Row.

Stratford High Street station

Stratford High Street will be a twin platform station where the platforms are either side of the tracks. It is located just south of the Stratford High Street with footbridge connections to Bridge Road to provide access to surrounding areas. To locate the station here Bridge Road has been permanently closed, except for emergency vehicle access. The road closure avoids taking any permanent land from nearby Rokeby School and ensures the station remains close to Stratford High Street.

Stratford station

Two new platforms are under construction in the location of the old London Overground platforms next to the Jubilee line. These will be specifically used for trains serving the Stratford International extension. The platforms will be accessed through the existing station building, utilising the stairs and lifts that are currently in place. The existing high level DLR platforms, 4a and 4b, will remain, taking passengers to Lewisham via Poplar and Canary Wharf.

Stratford International station

A new DLR station is being built adjacent to the new High Speed 1 Stratford International station. The station will have two entrances at opposite ends of the platforms. The principal entrance will be at the east, aligning with the pedestrian entrance at street level and will have two lifts and escalators to the low level DLR platforms. The secondary entrance will be at the west end opposite the future bus station, and will have one lift and stairs to the low level DLR platforms.

Service information

DLR services will operate between Stratford International and Woolwich Arsenal, and between Stratford International and Beckton.

DLR will offer more frequent trains than the previous North London line service, with a train arriving at least every 10 minutes at all times, providing a turn-up-and-go service.

Three-car trains commenced operation on DLR’s busiest route, Bank-Lewisham, in early 2010, providing an increase of 50% on-board capacity. Jonathan Fox added that although three-car trains are not planned to regularly operate on the new Stratford International extension when it opens, all stations have been built to accommodate these longer trains in the future.

Development and regeneration of the Stratford area

Major development and regeneration has begun and will continue to take place in the area between Canning Town and Stratford. The area to the north of the current Stratford station will be transformed into a major shopping and business location, and will include a large Westfield shopping centre. The development will bring 5,000 homes and 30,000 jobs to Stratford.

DLR’s Stratford International extension will bring additional benefits to the area by:

• Supporting the regeneration of the Lower Lea Valley, bringing forward new jobs, homes, shops and other leisure facilities to the area
• Providing improved public transport reliability, accessibility and frequency between Stratford and Canning Town. New stations will be created on the line to serve existing and future communities
• Providing a direct interchange between DLR and the High Speed 1 train services as well as with a bus station and taxi rank

The 2012 Games

The new route will form a crucial travel link during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games with the DLR Stratford International station serving the heart of the Olympic Park. Stratford and West Ham will also become Olympic gateway stations and be heavily used throughout the Games.

Trains will run between Stratford Inter­national and Stratford stations every two minutes during the Games with capacity for approximately 13,500 passengers per hour in each direction. The extension will provide a key link between the Olympic Park and other Olympic venues such as the ExCeL Exhibition Centre and Woolwich Arsenal.

Onward to opening

Jonathan says that the team are now heading into the final stages of the project. The Skanska VolkerRail joint venture is starting to finish out the construction at the stations and DLR are now working closely with signalling contractor, Thales and operator, Serco Docklands, to ensure the extension’s opening.

“Train staff rosters are starting to be prepared and my communications team are beginning to talk about press releases and opening events,” explains Jonathan. “This extension, which will be the sixth in our 22-year history, will further cement DLR’s role as one of the fastest growing railways in Europe.”

About the author

Jonathan Fox
Jonathan started his career in 1986 as an Operations Management Trainee with British Rail. This led to a number of operational and commercial jobs on British Rail’s former Southern Region culminating in a senior commercial role at London Bridge on the former South Eastern Division. In 1989 he joined the then Trainload Freight Business Unit managing various contracts in the petroleum sector. In 1992 he joined Rail Freight Distribution as part of the commercial team planning the launch of commercial services through the Channel Tunnel. This led to a number of commercial roles following the opening of the Tunnel in 1994, particularly in the automotive and intermodal sectors. In 1998 he joined Allied Continental Intermodal in Reading, a joint venture company between British and French Railways and Swiss forwarding company Intercontainer, as Chief Executive. In 2001 he moved to English Welsh and Scottish Railways (EWS) as General Manager of its International Division, taking responsibility for all through freight traffic passing through the Channel Tunnel. His tenure there included day-to-day management of the illegal immigrant crisis at Sangatte. In 2003 Jonathan joined Transport for London as Director Rail Projects, taking sponsorship responsibility for TfL’s involvement in such projects as Crossrail and the East London Line. In December 2004 he became Director of Docklands Light Railway Limited.