New transport link to Barking Riverside a step closer

12 May 2015
Two options considered to extend London Overground services to the area
"Barking Riverside is the largest housing development in east London, but without extending London Overground services it cannot reach its full potential. London Overground continues to be one of the UK's most punctual and popular railways and promises to breathe life into this new community for London"
Boris Johnson
Mayor of London
  • Extension will help unlock development potential and enable 10,800 new homes to be built

After overwhelming support for plans to extend London Overground services to Barking Riverside, Transport for London (TfL) has today launched a public consultation to inform the preferred alignment of the extension.

Two different alignments are being considered as part of the consultation, both of which will see the London Overground Gospel Oak to Barking line extended to serve a new station at the heart of the Barking Riverside development. Full details of both options, along with the opportunity to respond to the consultation, are available online here www.tfl.gov.uk/barking-riverside-consult.

This extension will deliver a number of benefits including:

  • An essential rail link supporting east London's largest housing development site, serving both new and existing residential areas;
  • Enabling 10,800 new homes to be delivered, many of which are affordable, along with a new school and healthcare facilities;
  • Allowing the construction of a new district centre with commercial and leisure facilities;
  • Delivering four trains per hour with an interchange at Barking with London Underground services on the District and Hammersmith & City lines and c2c services into Fenchurch Street station.

The Government has agreed to provide a loan of £55 million to support the extension to Barking Riverside and the provision of this loan means that funding is available to cover the full cost.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said:

'Barking Riverside is the largest housing development in east London, but without extending London Overground services it cannot reach its full potential. London Overground continues to be one of the UK's most punctual and popular railways and promises to breathe life into this new community for London.'

TfL's Managing Director of Planning, Richard de Cani, said:

'We have seen overwhelming public support, with 90 per cent of responses supporting our proposals for London Overground to be extended to serve Barking Riverside. This next consultation phase will bring us closer to creating this important new piece of London's transport network, which will unlock the potential for almost 11,000 new homes to be delivered on this site.'

TfL will be holding a number of local drop in sessions and the consultation will end on 21 June 2015.

Subject to the outcome of the consultation, and the final proposal being supported by the Mayor of London, TfL will make a Transport and Works Act Order application for powers to build and operate a railway extension in December 2015. If approved by the Secretary of State for Transport, construction could begin in early 2017 with trains running by the end of 2020.

 

Notes to Editors:

 

  • Alignment option A

Alignment A consists of two separate viaducts. The eastbound line towards Barking Riverside would leave the Tilbury line after passing under Renwick Road Bridge. It would then turn right and pass over the freight yard and Choats Road, before dropping under the power lines and continuing into Barking Riverside. The westbound line back to Barking station would cross Choats Road on another viaduct and curve left near the existing houses, joining the Tilbury line west of Renwick Road Bridge. This alignment requires fewer changes to the freight yard railway infrastructure and could result in cost savings.

  • Alignment option B

Alignment B would run both lines in parallel along a single viaduct. The viaduct would pass over the freight terminal and Choats Road before dropping under the power lines and continuing into Barking Riverside. This alignment would tie-in to the Tilbury line slightly further west and would require more changes to the freight yard. However, by crossing the Choats Road to the east on a single viaduct, it is possible to increase the distance between the existing residential areas and the operational railway.

  • Please visit www.tfl.gov.uk/barking-riverside-consult to have your say on the proposed extension and station.
  • The proposed extensions of London Overground to Barking Riverside and Old Oak are part of TfL's vision of creating better rail services in London to meet the needs of the city's rapidly growing population and to support new jobs, homes and economic growth. London Overground services are being increased by 25 per cent through the introduction of a fifth car to trains across the network, and in May this year the West Anglia routes to Cheshunt, Chingford and Enfield Town will join TfL's integrated network as part of London Overground. Rail services between Liverpool Street and Shenfield will also join the TfL network and will see radical improvements in preparation for the line carrying TfL-run Crossrail services in 2017. TfL's transformation of underused suburban rail links into the highly popular London Overground has seen passenger numbers rise by 400 per cent since 2007 and the network become one of the most reliable and popular in the UK.
  • TfL will be holding two public drop-in sessions where staff will be available to answer questions from members of the public. The sessions will be held at Barking Library 13:00 - 17:00, Saturday 13 June and the Rivergate Centre, 15:00 - 19:00, Monday 15 June.