AUTHORITY TO enhance Docklands Light Railway services courtesy of £281 million from the Housing Infrastructure Fund was granted by Transport for London’s Programmes and Investment Committee on 11 December.
The enhancements will see TfL purchase up to 14 additional trains from CAF, in addition to an order for 43 already placed, further expand Beckton depot and contribute to enabling works at Poplar depot to support a wider commercial development scheme featuring up to 1,740 homes. It is estimated the enhancements will unlock up to 12,000 new homes in total.
The HIF funding was announced by the Government in its budget in October 2018. It also included a £10 million contribution to a new station at Thameside Wharf, but this has now been removed from the scope due to programming risks arising because of the interaction with the construction of the Silvertown Tunnel. The approval will enable TfL to enter into a grant determination agreement (GDA) with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to receive the funds. The report to the Programmes and Investment Committee stated TfL needed to enter into the GDA immediately in order to deliver the depot expansion by June 2026 to receive the add…
