Earlier this month marked 10 years of Dockland Light Railway (DLR) services at Woolwich Arsenal. To celebrate I spent a day travelling on the DLR and visited Woolwich Arsenal for the first time.
The DLR is a an automated light metro system in East London that comprises of 45 stations over 38km of track, with nearly 120 million annual passengers. The DLR is infamous for minimal staffing, just five of the 45 stations are underground (Island Gardens, Cutty Sark for Maritime Greenwich, Bank, Stratford International and Woolwich Arsenal) and in order to comply with fire and safety requirements, these five stations are staffed.
The DLR extended from King George V under the River Thames to Woolwich Arsenal in January 2009. The station is also the only DLR station to be in Zone 4. In 2014 there was a petition to rezone the station from Zone 4 to Zone 3, however the Mayor of London at the time, Boris Johnson, ruled this out over concerns of financial losses.
The official opening of Woolwich Arsenal DLR station took place on 12 January 2009. Despite the line heading west towards Bank via. London City Airport, due to the curvature of the river Thames, DLR trains actually head east from Woolwich Arsenal before turning west back towards the City.
The
area of Woolwich has an interesting relationship with transport. Since 1889, a free vehicle ferry has operated from Woolwich to the south of the Thames, and North Woolwich to the north. However, the ferry has seen decreasing passenger figures since the DLR opened at nearby Woolwich Arsenal and the construction of a foot tunnel. Despite falling passenger numbers, there are currently no serious plans to withdraw the ferry.
area of Woolwich has an interesting relationship with transport. Since 1889, a free vehicle ferry has operated from Woolwich to the south of the Thames, and North Woolwich to the north. However, the ferry has seen decreasing passenger figures since the DLR opened at nearby Woolwich Arsenal and the construction of a foot tunnel. Despite falling passenger numbers, there are currently no serious plans to withdraw the ferry.
Woolwich also currently has a Crossrail station under construction that was due to open in December 2018. Crossrail will take just 8 minutes to get from Woolwich to Canary Wharf, considerably quicker than the current 22 minutes journey time it takes to get from Woolwich Arsenal to Canary Wharf via. the DLR and Jubilee line. The DLR Woolwich Arsenal station, Woolwich Crossrail station and Woolwich Arsenal pier will all be within a short walking distance. Like most Crossrail stations, Woolwich will use natural light as much as possible and the entrance will connect to wider urban public realm.
Woolwich is an exciting part of London, with the Thames Footpath and multiple transport modes to explore. I am looking forward to visiting the area again when Crossrail services open.
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