Woolwich Arsenal DLR extension opens seven weeks early - VIDEO
10:41 13 Jan 2009
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The £180m extension of the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) to Woolwich was officially opened yesterday - seven weeks ahead of schedule.
Below: A video taken from the front of a DLR train shows the new route.
The new Woolwich Arsenal station south of the river links to King George V station on the north side by a tunnel.
The project was completed by Morgan Est, which took over the Amec Design & Project Services division during 2006. The contract was originally awarded to Amec in June 2005.
London Mayor Boris Johnson, who opened the extension, said: "I'm absolutely delighted that this extension with its cracking new station is up and running and puts Woolwich Arsenal firmly on the Tube map.
"Woolwich has long lacked the transport links that encourage the creation of new jobs, homes and shops and this is the sort of project that will help kick the credit crunch where it hurts. The extension will also play an important role in the Olympic transport network. People in this part of London will now be just a 24-minute hop, skip and a jump away from the Olympic site."
The link will connect Woolwich to City Airport in six minutes, to Canary Wharf in 20 minutes, and to Stratford in 23 minutes. It will also connect the main Olympic site with the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, which will hold the shooting events.