UMVA - UMVA Uncovers: BOMBSHELL - London's Transport Network A...

UMVA has learned that a massive £1.7 billion DLR extension in east London is on the horizon, with plans being finalised for the creation of two new stations.

The ambitious project involves building a new route that will split off from the existing DLR line to Beckton at Gallions Reach, with trains continuing on to a new terminus at Thamesmead. This extension will not only improve transport connections but also pave the way for the construction of up to 25,000 new homes along the route.

According to information obtained by UMVA, the new route will feature two state-of-the-art stations: Beckton Riverside and Thamesmead. Beckton Riverside will boast a sleek street-level design with a footbridge and lifts linking two platforms, while Thamesmead will be built on a viaduct at the site of Cannon Retail Park.

DLR train on elevated tracks crosses South Quay towards Heron Quays station at the heart of Canary Wharf financial district on 5th January 2026 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo: Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)

Thamesmead station, situated on the border of Greenwich and Bexley, will have a central platform and tracks running on either side, with trains rumoured to run every eight to 10 minutes along the route. The extension will also increase the frequency of services at Gallions Reach to every four to five minutes.

UMVA can exclusively reveal that the new Thamesmead station has been designed with future expansion in mind, potentially allowing for a future extension of the line out towards Belvedere in Bexley, southeast London. For now, however, the focus remains on delivering this vital transport link.

Sources have confirmed to UMVA that construction could begin as early as 2029, with the new stations potentially opening in the early part of the next decade. Once the final details have been finalised, Transport for London will submit a Transport and Works Act Order application, which, if approved, will give the green light for the project to proceed.

We would proposed to do this by providing an elevated track from Gallions Reach over the existing Beckton branch line and then continuing towards Beckton Riverside. We call this a ?grade separated? junction. This junction means that trains operating on the extension would not come into conflict with trains operating on the existing Beckton branch, or which are leaving and entering the depot, and so avoids potential delays. This layout would also provide a direct link between Beckton depot and the proposed extension to Thamesmead, ensuring trains serving the extension could start service without impacting services on the existing Beckton branch. This layout would also allow for a potential future extension of the DLR towards Barking, subject to funding and justification of benefits. We explored an alternative ?at grade? junction layout, which would require trains operating to/from Beckton Riverside and Thamesmead to cross over the existing Beckton branch to access the extension. However, this would require trains stopping and waiting for a route to become available across the junction with the existing Beckton. This would impact the number of trains we could run on the network and could extend journey times and cause delays across the DLR network. Route through Beckton Riverside The proposed route alignment through the Beckton Riverside area is constrained. To the west (towards Beckton) there is Royal Docks Road (A1020) and Armada Way, the existing Beckton DLR branch and utilities infrastructure. This includes Beckton CHiP (Combined Heat and Intelligent Power) plant, a bioliquid fuelled power station, and a Cadent Gas Pressure Reduction Station. To the east (towards the River Thames) there is Armada Way, a flood attenuation pond, and river wall infrastructure. There is also a significant amount of below ground utilities and other buried obstructions which have influenced the development of options for this section of the route. The proposed route alignment would initially remain elevated on a viaduct to pass through the Beckton Riverside area immediately to the south of Armada Way, passing over the edge of the Cadent Gas Pressure Reduction Station site and Hornet Way, to maintain vehicle access to the Beckton CHiP plant, Cadent Gas Pressure Reduction Station and Beckton Depot. The viaduct section of the railway would run for around 500 metres through Beckton Riverside, before descending to a proposed ground level station at Beckton Riverside. This would serve two major development sites in the area. To the north of the proposed station and Armada Way lies the existing Gallions Reach Shopping Park owned by Aberdeen Investments, with the remaining undeveloped part of the former Beckton Gas works, owned by St William to the south of the DLR alignment and proposed station at Beckton Riverside. Information about our preferred option for this station, and the alternatives we have assessed,

The areas earmarked for the new stations have rich histories, with Thamesmead built on former marshland and predominantly comprising 1960s social housing. Meanwhile, Beckton, in the east London borough of Newham, was developed on marshland known as the East Ham Levels, with housing built for workers of the Beckton Gas Works and Beckton Sewage Treatment Works.