DLR Thamesmead extension: first contract awarded, here’s what happens next

3rd November 2026

The DLR extension to Thamesmead has taken its first real step forward, with TfL awarding the first contract for early works. The new line would run under the Thames and give Thamesmead its first rail station.

🚈 DLR Thamesmead extension: key facts
🏗️ Early works contract awarded to Amey Rail
💷 Worth up to £42m (just over £50m including VAT)
📍 From Gallions Reach to Thamesmead, via Beckton Riverside
🌊 About 1.5km of twin tunnels under the Thames
📅 Building could start by 2029, opening in the early 2030s

What has been agreed?

TfL has given Amey Rail the “Thamesmead Extension Early Works” contract. Construction Enquirer reports it is worth up to £42m, while ianVisits puts it at just over £50m, a difference that is most likely down to VAT.

The work starts with surveys, ground investigations and firming up costs, before moving on to early works ahead of main construction. Later stages depend on “affordability, approvals and contractual conditions”. The contract runs until October 2028, with an option to extend it to October 2030.

Where will the DLR extension go?

The route would run for about 3km from Gallions Reach in the Royal Docks, on a viaduct through Beckton Riverside, then through a 1.5km twin-bore tunnel under the Thames to Thamesmead. There would be two new stations: Beckton Riverside and Thamesmead.

Thamesmead is one of the biggest areas of London without a rail station. The new link would connect it directly to the Royal Docks and Canary Wharf. The scheme is expected to support 30,000 new homes and add £15.6bn to London’s economy.

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When will the DLR reach Thamesmead?

When	What happens
Early 2027	TfL applies for a Transport and Works Act Order, the legal permission to build
By 2029	Construction could start, if a funding deal with the government is agreed
Early 2030s	New stations could open

Source: TfL via ianVisits

It will not be cheap. A government tender notice published in February estimates the main construction contract at £1.35bn before VAT. TfL plans to pay for it by borrowing, paid back through future government funding and new income such as fares.

Sources: ianVisits, Construction Enquirer, Find a Tender. Photo: mattbuck / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.