Barking Riverside is one step closer to getting its own London Overground extension, thanks to an overwhelmingly positive 90% response to TfL's consultation last autumn.
Despite being the largest development in east London, the area is currently something of a public transport black hole, marooned between the river and the A13. But TfL's proposal to extend the London Overground Gospel Oak to Barking line to a new station in the middle of the Barking Riverside development will make commuting a lot easier for local residents. Here's a map of the proposed route.
Funding to the tune of £55m will come from the government — chancellor George Osborne agreed to provide the loan in the 2014 Autumn Statement. And not before time — The Guardian's Dave Hill questioned the delay in connecting Barking Riverside to the rest of civilisation in March last year.
According to TfL, the new service would run from Barking along the existing Essex Thameside Tilbury line, over a new raised viaduct then under the Renwick Road Bridge before heading south to Barking Riverside.
A second public consultation will take place within the next couple of months. If the outcome is positive (and there's no reason to suspect it won't be), TfL will approach the Department for Transport (DfT) to get the go ahead with its plans. London Mayor Boris Johnson said:
“The extension of the London Overground will unlock the potential of the Barking Riverside area and support the creation of thousands of new homes. The results delivered by London’s first orbital railway are well proven; with London Overground driving forward regeneration in areas across the capital. I am delighted that so many people support its arrival in Barking."
