Greater London Authority

Mayor opens Docklands Light Railway London City Airport extension
_______________________________________________________________

date 6 December 2005
source Greater London Authority
type Press release

note GLA/2005/ 617

For immediate release

The Mayor of London Ken Livingstone and Transport Minister Karen Buck today
opened the Docklands Light Railway extension at the new London City Airport
station. They were joined by Colin Jackson, the star of BBC's Strictly Come
Dancing and a champion hurdler, Lord Seb Coe and Olympic Gold medallist
Denise Lewis.

The London City Airport extension runs from Canning Town to King George V
station at North Woolwich via London City Airport and will play an important
part in London's transport plans for the 2012 Olympic Games. The line has
four new stations which now connect local and airport passengers direct into
the Tube system at Canning Town.

Mayor Ken Livingstone, said: "The Docklands Light Railway City Airport
extension is a vital new transport link which has been delivered on time and
on budget. We are now starting to see the benefits of Transport for London's
£10bn five-year investment programme.

"In December we will be expanding the capacity of the Jubilee line with
another carriage on every train. The Docklands Light Railway extension will
open up access to jobs and housing in the local area".

The 8,000 residents living on the route will have three new stations at West
Silvertown, Pontoon Dock and King George V providing better access to jobs
and leisure facilities as well as generating more custom for local
businesses. Passengers flying in and out of London City Airport will also
enjoy faster, easier and cheaper journeys into Canary Wharf, the City and
central London.

Lord Coe, Chairman of London 2012, said: "Having only last week agreed with
the International Olympic Committee the key transport milestones towards
2012, this is timely and impressive evidence of London's ability to deliver
on its promises. London will be ready to host an outstanding Games with
progress of other key transport schemes already well underway".

Karen Buck, Transport Minister said: ""People who live and travel in London
continue to benefit from the investments in its transport system. This is
the fourth extension since the DLR opened, improving things still further.
It will keep on growing: we are already looking forward to the extension to
Woolwich. One of the reasons behind our successful bid for the 2012 Games
was that much of what is needed already exists, or is being built right
now."

Jonathan Fox, Director Docklands Light Railway, said: "This extension is
tremendously significant for the Southern Royal Docks area. It provides
London City Airport with a dedicated rail link into the heart of the City,
and will be instrumental in the ongoing regeneration of the local community
and the preparations and support for the London 2012 Olympic Games".

The next stage of the Docklands Light Railway expansion is the 2.5km
extension from King George V under the Thames to Woolwich Arsenal which will
provide businesses and local communities with another major boost when it
opens in early 2009.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Stations and services

All stations on the Docklands Light Railway network provide step-free access
to trains. Stations are well integrated with other transport systems with
direct interchanges with over 100 bus routes, five mainline railways, eight
Underground lines and coach, taxi and riverboat services.

London City Airport station has two entrances, one directly into the airport
terminal and another on Drew Road. Both entrances have lift access and
there are escalators from the main concourse area.

West Silvertown will serve Britannia Village and the Peruvian Wharf
development. Pontoon Dock is adjacent to Barrier Park and planned aquarium,
'Biota!'. King George V station is in North Woolwich, sited at the northern
end of Pier Road, within walking distance to the Woolwich Ferry.

Trains will run every 7-10 minutes, Monday to Saturday 05.30-00.30, Sunday
07.00-23.30. Journey times between the airport and Canary Wharf will be 14
minutes, the City in 22 minutes and central London in 35 minutes.

Fares and journey times

As part of the Transport for London network, Docklands Light Railway
operates the same zonal fare system as London Underground and London Buses.
Almost 50 per cent of airport passengers use black cabs. The length and cost
of journeys depend on traffic and time of day but comparative costs and
journey times include:

* Canary Wharf, 3.7 miles - £8.80 by cab, 30 mins; £1.30 by
Docklands Light Railway, 14 mins
* The City (Bank Station), 6.6 miles - £15.00 by cab, 25 mins;
£2.80 by DLR 22 mins
* Westminster, 8.6 miles - £20.40 by cab, 35 mins; £2.80 by
Docklands Light Railway and Jubilee Line 28 mins

The £140m extension has been designed and built by City Airport Rail
Enterprises plc, a joint venture of AMEC plc and the Royal Bank of Scotland
under a 30 year Private Finance Initiative concession.

History of Docklands Light Railway

Docklands Light Railway carries more than 51 million passengers a year, a
figure forecast to increase to 80 million by 2009. Docklands Light Railway
Limited is responsible for planning the railway's future and protecting and
developing its assets.

Since the railway opened in 1987, it has been extended on three other
occasions: to Bank in 1991, Beckton and the Northern Royal Docks in 1994,
and Greenwich and Lewisham in 1999.


MEDIA ENQUIRIES: contact Sam Hart/Hilary Merrett in the Mayor's Press
Office on 020 7983 4714/4753 or Adi Frost in TfL press office on 0845
6044141.

NON MEDIA ENQUIRIES: contact the Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100

OUT OF HOURS MEDIA ENQUIRIES: contact the Duty Press Officer on 020 7983
4000

Railhub Archive ::: 2005-12-06 GLA-001