On Fri, 31 Jul 2020 21:15:53 +0100, Basil Jet
wrote:


This consultation dates from 2020 BC (Before Covid) so I'm not sure if
this project is even alive now. There's a map at
https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/blog/202...smead-advance/

I'm mystified by the plan. Would the trains reverse at Beckton to get
there? Or would Beckton have its own service and Thamesmead have its own
service? Extending from Woolwich seems to make more sense - or reversing
at Woolwich, since the trains actually curve around under the river to
come into Woolwich from the east. This would give people in Thamesmead
direct service to Woolwich and City Airport, whereas plugging them into
the Beckton Branch doesn't really give them much. It would also remove
the extra Thames Tunnel from the plan, so should work out cheaper.

Returning to your question, I really can't see any chance of this
happening. The Thamesmead plan references Abbey Wood, but not the DLR.
And if an existing line were to be extended across the Thames, I'd
have thought it would be the Goblin.

It's far more likely that Thamesmead with just get a better bus
service to Abbey Wood (smart electric buses, segregated bus lanes,
traffic light priority, etc). Not only is this vastly cheaper, but it
can serve a wider area, with stops around the estate, rather than just
having one station. The bus network can also be adapted as new
developments are occupied.

For either the DLR or the Goblin to be extended across the Thames
would almost certainly need a substantial contribution from the
property developer. But that is Peabody, which is creating affordable
homes, not someone like Berkeley Homes.