TfL considered plans to extend the Suffragette line from Barking Riverside to Thamesmead and Abbey Wood
A new map shows TfL considered plans to extend the London Overground to Thamesmead before the project was ditched. After the Suffragette line expansion from Barking to Barking Riverside was completed in 2022, the transport authority considered changing the terminus to Thamesmead.
About 15,000 new homes are currently being built in Thamesmead with the waterfront area recently designated one of seven ‘new towns’ to kickstart development. City Hall, TfL and the Government eventually chose to support a DLR extension instead due to lower costs and the ability to run more services per hour.
This latter option also meant a new station could be opened in Beckton Riverside where 10,000 homes are slated for construction. The project is expected to cost about £1.7bn and open to passengers in 2033.
Despite opting for the DLR extension, Transport for London has confirmed the layout of Barking Riverside does allow for cross-river expansion in the future. A case officer, responding to a Freedom of Information request, said a new sub-surface station would need to be built opposite the current station to make this possible in order to provide enough clearance for trains travelling into tunnels below the Thames.
A plan published by TfL shows the track being extended along the northern river before twin bored tunnels are constructed near Barking Point and cross into Thamesmead. Proposals for exactly where the London Overground station would be were not drawn up for the opposite side of the river.
This plan was weighed up by transport bosses due to the proposed rail connection between Gospel Oak and Thamesmead or Abbey Wood creating a new link from North to South East London. It would also provide a potential interchange with National Rail and Elizabeth line services, but the DLR extension was eventually deemed to be more beneficial.
TfL consultation report published in 2024 reads: “We assessed a range of options to extend the London Overground from Barking Riverside to Thamesmead and beyond. This would open up new rail connections between parts of north and southeast London and create an outer orbital link across the River Thames. In doing so, these options would connect Thamesmead to National Rail and London Underground services at Barking, and potentially Elizabeth Line and National Rail services in southeast London.
“However, services would only operate at around four trains per hour compared with the potential for up to 15 trains per hour in the peak with a DLR extension. This level of service would be less attractive for Thamesmead, whilst Beckton Riverside would not be served at all, and therefore these options would be significantly less effective in supporting new homes. In addition, these services would not connect communities to big employment centres and this benefit is therefore lost. A London Overground extension would also be significantly higher cost than a DLR extension.”
Sir Sadiq Khan is now pushing to get government funding for the West London Orbital – a proposed Overground line along underused freight routes between Hendon and Hounslow. If Downing Street does not provide enough financial backing for this, the Mayor told MyLondon he would consider “innovative financing” options to raise enough money – meaning residents and business owners along the route could be charged a levy to fund its construction.
These measures were used to pay for the Northern line extension to Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station which opened in 2021.
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