Stratford International - Testing yet?

[Deleted]

Is the cable car going ahead? Did TfL find a backer?

[Chris M]

I saw something saying it was going ahead, but it wasn't clear where about 90% of the funding was coming from. Looking at the plans I think they could do better than going from nearish the O2 and North Greenwich to nearish Excel and Royal Victoria.

[dazzmcguinness]

Just out of interest, does anyone have any data on how much this extension has cost? And how many people they think will use it AFTER the Olympics have finished? Can't see many people from the area going on daybreaks to the continent with much regularity, or being able to afford to shop at Westfield!

'McGuinness

[jswallow]

Why is the sole destination of this new service ever thought to be Stratford International? It's going to be useful along the rest of the route between Stratford Regional and Canning Town as it'll be a suitable alternative to the 276 bus route, which is rammed to bursting point for much of the day. Getting some of the passengers off the 276 onto the DLR will be good. It'll also take pressure off other services such as the 262, the 473 to City Airport and so on.

And as someone who lives in the area who can afford to both take daybreaks to the continent and shop at Westfield I find your second comment inaccurate. The area around Stratford, Leyton, Walthamstow, Hackney etc is also popular with professionals who can easily get to work and leisure from there.

I maintain people will be surprised once the extension opens.

[Deleted]

I too will be using it regularly but not going as far as Stratford International.

Incidentally the new DLR timetables posted on my local station are dated "January 2011", but still have this extension shown on the route map as "Opening Autumn 2010". So they're not very good at proof reading as well as project management!

[Deleted]

Linky: DLR extension finally set to open in late spring

[causton]

Good article...

WHAT???

"Stratford International opened last year but is not connected either to any rail line or any international station"

...it IS connected to a rail line. Two in fact! (albeit one a light rail line and not quite open yet)
...it IS connected to an international station (Ashford International)

I get what they meant to say with the second half but not the first!

[Chris M]

At Canning Town earlier I noticed that some of the signs have had their protective packaging removed and the "way out" signs were lit. This is the first time I've seen this. There was still a mobile lifting platform vehicle on the platform though.

[fleetline]

Feb 2, 2011 15:59:32 GMT Ben said:

Egg on their faces. Mind you Docklands has an far better history with projects then the rest of TfL. This is the first big slip up theyve had development-wise, isn't it?

Not the first silp up (there been many ie the train that ended off the viaduct at the old Island Gardens station) but the first major delay to a DLR project.

Seems the nicking of cables pushed back the testing and they are still having issues with this.

[Deleted]

E-r-r, new (e.g. now old) Stratford station was delayed for quite a while too. Opening of Woolwich extension also slipped by quite a while.

[Deleted]

The train that crashed through the buffers at Island Gardens was being manually driven, fleetline.

[Deleted]

Well, we’re now into March. There is still a fence across the tracks of the new route east of Canning Town, where the Stratford International route joins that for Woolwich Arsenal. So they don’t seem to be doing much testing yet!

Is anyone opening a book on TfL’s interpretation of “Late Spring 2011”?

[Deleted]

I have read on the latest London Connections map Summer 2011.

[Deep Level]

Mar 3, 2011 12:51:37 GMT @jimar53 said:

I have read on the latest London Connections map Summer 2011.

www.nationalrail.co.uk/passenger_services/maps/London_Connections.pdf

[Deleted]

Mar 3, 2011 12:51:37 GMT @jimar53 said:

I have read on the latest London Connections map Summer 2011.

One of the surest signs of a project out of control is when the anticipated completion date keeps going back at the same rate as the calendar advances towards it!

It does seem that the completion date here has been around "5 months away" since the middle of 2010, if not before.

[Deleted]

Looking on past copies of the project pages (eg web.archive.org/web/20050415171025/developments.dlr.co.uk/extensions/stratford/what_next.shtml) it was originally envisaged that this route would open by the end of 2009 !!!

I'm thinking of awarding a prize to the first person to see "Opening Autumn 2011"

[Deleted]

Mar 3, 2011 15:27:27 GMT @lthrtim said:

I'm thinking of awarding a prize to the first person to see "Opening Autumn 2011"

I'll go for one month before the Olympics start. Nothing else seems to matter.

[Deleted]

Last told late-June (2011!!). I'm not going to hold my breath ...

[Bighat]

Mar 3, 2011 16:03:41 GMT @reganorak said:

Last told late-June (2011!!). I'm not going to hold my breath ...

I fail to understand why people are getting their draws in a twist over this!

As long as the line is up and running in time for the Olympics, thatt is all that matters!

After all, its not as if it will attract a great deal of custom before then is it?

[Deleted]

Not getting my draws in a twist - just reporting what I know for everyone's benefit, such as it is ;D ;D ;D

[Deleted]

Mar 3, 2011 18:06:45 GMT Bighat said:

After all, its not as if it will attract a great deal of custom before then is it?

I lived in the area back in 2006-8 and I think you are underestimating the demand - I'm quite sure that link between Stratford Int. and Reg. will be fairly popular (as opposed to current buses), new stations (Stratford High Street, Abbey Road, Star Lane) will definitely be popular, and more trains from Woolwich Arsenal will be appreciated too.

[causton]

When I went there last summer holidays (I think, would have been September latest as that was when my child Oyster ran out) to take photos of construction the bus that runs alongside the route to Canning Town was quiet at the start and then VERY busy as the route neared the terminus, witnessed on buses in both directions. And this was on a weekday middayish/early afternoon IIRC.

So I think there is quite some demand, especially with all the existing services at Stratford to connect to!

[Chris M]

There will be a significant demand for the direct Beckton-Stratford trains judging by the number of people interchanging currently. UEL staff and students travelling between the Docklands (Cyprus) and Stratford campuses will benefit particularly.
I expect that even before the games there is considerable traffic between Stratford and City Airport.

Why does everyone assume that it's only Olympic spectators and Southeastern High Speed passengers who will use this?

[Ben]

If you build it, they will come

[Deleted]

Mar 3, 2011 16:03:41 GMT @reganorak said:

Last told late-June (2011!!). I'm not going to hold my breath ...

The DLR website stil says Summer 2010:

pressroom.dlr.co.uk/faq/index.asp#8

[causton]

Lots of timetables for stations on the DLR site had it opening last Autumn last time I checked (few days ago)

[Deleted]

Some of the new stations looked more 'unwrapped' than others, when I went along the JLE last week. However, they all looked pretty-much ready for use.

I agree about the likely usage of the new line (as discussed above). I think that it will attract a good deal of 'local' traffic.

[thirstquensher]

I've noticed all the wrapping seems to be off now. Also, it was about 2 weeks ago that the Beckton branch had all new line diagrams installed (with the SI branch stickered-over) and new wayfinding signs on gantries and awnings, etc. So it would at least appear that the route opening is not anticipated to be too far off.

[Deleted]

Likewise, the work on the Stratford Market Station Building (down at Stratford High Street DLR) appears to be drawing to a close. Most the scaffolding's gone, and you can start to make out the new glass partitions.

For those that don't know, the Stratford Market Station Building is being given a new lease of life. According to the Newham Mag:

"Stratford Market Station – as it was known in its heyday – is set to get a makeover to complement works done on the High Street, and will act as an entrance to the new Docklands Light Railway Station (DLR)."

and one of the parts of the project specifically is to:

"create pedestrian access through the building to the new DLR station."

There's a picture in the magazine too, linky here.

[Chris M]

There was still plenty of scaffolding up around the surface entrance to Stratford International DLR today. It wasn't clear what was being done, but I wouldn't be surprised if it took a good two days to make it safe for public access right now, even if the work has all been done.

This weekend there has been far more traffic on the DLR between Gallions Reach and Cyprus than on previous shutdowns recently. Interestingly perhaps both lines were being traversed in both directions.

From the top deck of the replacement bus from Canning Town this evening (~7:30) I saw a three-car train in the siding at Royal Victoria, the first time I've see a train there. There was also a two car unit set up to travel westbound in the eastbound platform at Custom House.