The new 4.5km stretch of railway will connect the new development of Barking Riverside to Barking town centre in seven minutes.
The extension of London Overground to a brand-new station at the heart of Barking Riverside will open to customers in one week (Monday 18 July) providing new quicker, easier and sustainable journey options to this key regeneration area.
The new station at Barking Riverside is fully step-free, bringing the total across the London Overground network to more than 60 stations, helping make London a more accessible city for everyone and support people's independence when travelling in London.
The Gospel Oak route, extending out beyond Barking along the new 4.5km of track to Barking Riverside, will help dramatically reduce journey times to Barking to just seven minutes, rather than the current 25-minute bus journey. The route will operate with four trains per hour, providing Barking Riverside with connections to the District and Hammersmith & City lines into central London and C2C trains at Barking. Customers will be able to easily interchange with the recently opened Elizabeth line at Forest Gate, which is a short walk from Wanstead Park London Overground station, as well as River Bus services from Barking Riverside pier. The station enables easy interchange with local bus services and has extensive cycle parking facilities helping to promote greener and more sustainable journeys by making it easier for people to start or end their journeys by cycle.
Seb Dance, Deputy Mayor for Transport, said:
"Hot on the heels of the opening of the Elizabeth Line, this is more excellent news for east London.
"This new station will help to pave the way for up to 10,000 new homes in Barking Riverside, thousands of which will be genuinely affordable and will ensure residents have the high-quality transport links they need. I am particularly pleased that this station is fully step-free and is opening much earlier than planned.
"Despite the lack of long-term funding from Government for TfL, the Mayor is still absolutely focused on building a better London - and this development is a key part of that."
Stuart Harvey, Chief Capital Officer at Transport for London, said:
"The opening of Barking Riverside station, months earlier than anticipated, is another boost for the capital, following the successful reopening of Bank station and launch of the transformational Elizabeth line. This extension will effectively deliver on two key priorities as London recovers from the pandemic of providing accessible, sustainable travel to much needed housing for Londoners. Residents will be able to benefit from a modern and spacious new station, which will be well connected with other local transport links including local buses and River Bus services."
Matthew Carpen, Managing Director of Barking Riverside Limited, said:
"The early launch of this Overground service is due to the brilliant partnership we have had with TfL and the contractor Morgan Sindall Infrastructure VolkerFitzpatrick. We worked through COVID and so the opening is the signal to help reconnect residents and visitors of this area to London. Following the successful launch of the new River Bus service, this vital piece of infrastructure will be a major component in the range of transport options for commuters and leisure visitors alike, making Barking Riverside an exciting destination for Londoners, as well as a well-connected home for our community."
Vicky Savage, Executive Group Director of Development and Sales at L&Q, said:
"Alongside our partner the Mayor of London, we're proud to be investing to bring vital transport infrastructure, facilities and beautiful homes to Barking Riverside. The new Overground station will support not just residents but the whole Borough and wider east London community - yet more evidence that this is one of London's most important new developments."
TfL is committed to ensuring that residents and visitors to Barking Riverside can benefit from the new railway as soon as possible. It has been able to open Barking Riverside station ahead of the previously scheduled autumn completion date as a result of good progress in driver training, support from Network Rail and in applying the finishing touches to the station. Like all railways, the Overground relies on planned closures to carry out crucial maintenance. Network Rail, who is responsible infrastructure maintenance on the Gospel Oak to Barking Riverside route, is carrying out essential engineering work on a section of track that requires the whole line to be closed on Saturday 23 July and Sunday 24 July.
Investment in transport benefits the whole country - from supporting jobs and businesses across the country to ensuring supply chains and manufacturers can retain the skill base and resources to easily and affordably satisfy transport projects in other regions. Businesses from around the UK have benefited from the Barking Riverside Extension. Delivered by Morgan Sindall Infrastructure and VolkerFitzpatrick (MSVF) joint venture on behalf of TfL, the project's supply chain partners have supported 39 apprenticeships and businesses of all sizes with skills and job creation seen across the whole country. This includes steelwork from Scotland and the East of England, precast concrete from the North West and Northern Ireland and innovative slab track from the East Midlands, and trains built in Derby.
The Barking Riverside development, delivered by Barking Riverside Limited, a joint venture between L&Q and the Mayor of London, is delivering more than 10,000 new homes along with a range of community, commercial and retail spaces along a 2km stretch of River Thames frontage. The new extension and station will vastly improve connectivity to one of London's fastest growing areas, helping residents and visitors travel to and from the neighbourhood using active and public transport quicker and more easily.
Notes to Editors
Uber Boat by Thames Clippers - thamesclippers.com/plan-your-journey/find-your-pier/barking-riverside-pier
About Barking Riverside
Overlooking London's iconic River Thames, Barking Riverside is founded on an ambitious vision for what placemaking can achieve.
One of the most exciting new developments in Europe, the project will help transform a 443-acre former industrial site into a new London district that everyone can be proud of.
Co-created in close partnership with existing residents, the area is growing to become an exciting and vibrant neighbourhood of over 10,000 homes, commercial and leisure space, new schools and facilities, public open spaces and riverside walks. Connectivity will be enhanced by a new London Overground station and an Uber Boat by Thames Clippers pier.
The project is being delivered by master developers Barking Riverside Limited (BRL), a joint venture between housing association L&Q and the Mayor of London. BRL are partnering with local people, stakeholders, plot developers and designers, to help create a place that is 'Barking Made', with pride and purpose for everyone.
Timeline of the Barking Riverside Extension:
2017:Secretary of State granted Transport and Works Act Order(August)
2018: Morgan Sindall Infrastructure and VolkerFitzpatrick appointed as contractors to deliver the project (December)
2019:Start of major construction works (February)
2021: Completion of viaduct construction including track slab (October)
2022: Final signal commissioning completed (March)
2022: Driver training and route testing begins (May)
Morgan Sindall Infrastructure
Morgan Sindall Infrastructure delivers some of the UK's most complex and critical infrastructure across six core sectors of energy, water, nuclear, highways, rail and aviation for public and private customers. Working on projects and long-term frameworks, we believe in connecting people, places and communities through innovative and responsible infrastructure. Through our expertise, we harness innovative ideas and approaches that enable us to safely and responsibly design and deliver resilient infrastructure. Morgan Sindall Infrastructure is part of Morgan Sindall Group plc, a leading UK construction and regeneration group with revenue of over 3 billion. www.morgansindallinfrastructure.com
VolkerFitzpatrick
VolkerFitzpatrick is a multi-disciplinary contractor working in the civil engineering, building, rail, waste and energy infrastructure sectors.
Founded in 1921, the company has grown to become one of the top contractors in the UK. VolkerFitzpatrick's success is based on ensuring it has a sound understanding of the client's vision, which is then delivered on time and to budget.
VolkerFitzpatrick is proud to be celebrating its 100th anniversary.
VolkerFitzpatrick is part of VolkerWessels UK, a multi-disciplinary construction and civil engineering group with a turnover of 1,082 million. VolkerWessels UK employs more than 3,600 staff in five operating companies.