DOCKLANDS Light Railway ordered 24 more articulated cars from Bombardier on April 28, as part of a programme to expand the capacity of its busiest route from Bank to Lewisham via Canary Wharf.
Platforms are being lengthened so that trains can be extended from two to three cars in 2007. The £125m project includes a new station at South Quay and expansion of Beckton depot, as well as £45m for the extra cars, which are being funded by a 25-year finance lease from the Royal Bank of Scotland. Internally similar to DLR's existing fleet, they will be the first with AC motors.
Bombardier's contract includes an option for nine cars to work the proposed 5 km extension from Canning Town to Stratford International station on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. Transport for London announced on May 18 that it would seek powers for conversion to light rail of this section of the North London Line by 2009 at a cost of £110m. It would link end-on with the City Airport branch due to open in December 2005, which will be extended under the Thames to Woolwich Arsenal in 2007.
- TfL has appointed Parsons Brinckerhoff as Programme Manager for Phase 1 of the £900m East London Line extension. Currently part of the Underground, the ELL will be extended north from Shoreditch to Dalston Junction mainly on abandoned rail viaducts, and south from New Cross Gate to Crystal Palace and West Croydon over Network Rail tracks.
