TfL on Barking Riverside Station at our 'New Districts' forum

Above: CGI from Weston Williamson of TfL's Barking Riverside station

Future Cities Forum is delighted that Chris Porter, Major Projects Manager at TfL City Planning, who has led the new Barking Riverside Station development, is taking part in our 'New Districts' forum this week. This forum is part of our ongoing series which looks at how transport infrastructure is supporting the creation of new homes, jobs and cultural facilities.

TfL describes Barking Riverside is one of the fastest growing areas of east London. With around 3,000 homes built or under construction, the new railway will help unlock more than 7,000 further homes along with new leisure facilities, schools and riverside walks. This 178-hectare brownfield site on the northern bank of the River Thames will become home to an estimated 30,000 new residents with Barking Riverside station an intrinsic part of the development, which is being delivered by Barking Riverside Limited, a joint venture between L&Q and the Mayor of London.

Sitting at the heart of a new public square and a five-minute walk from the riverfront, Barking Riverside station forms part of the extended Gospel Oak to Barking route. Residents and visitors using the new station can now benefit from quicker and easier journeys. The extension of the railway complements the existing comprehensive bus network and provides a new direct transport option. Journey times to Barking have been dramatically cut by more than two thirds to around seven minutes, while the city is now accessible in just 22 minutes.

Passengers are able to interchange at Barking for the London Underground into central London and c2c services to Essex. An interchange with the Elizabeth line is possible at Forest Gate, which is a short walk from Wanstead Park London Overground station. Barking Riverside Pier is also a short five-minute walk from the station providing easy access to westbound Uber Boat by Thames Clippers River Bus services to locations such as North Greenwich, Canary Wharf, Westminster and London Bridge City piers.

Sustainable travel is a key part of the plans for the Barking Riverside development. Public transport, walking and cycling feature heavily in plans supported by local bus services, easily connected with the new railway station, and a network of footpaths and cycleways. Cycle parking for 180 cycles is provided at a dedicated new facility as part of the new station making it easier for people to start or end their journeys by cycle.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: "I'm delighted that the new Barking Riverside London Overground station recently opened to customers, ahead of schedule.

"Residents will now benefit from a modern, spacious new station and greatly reduced journey times with Barking just seven minutes away - I'm pleased to say that the station is also fully step free.

"This fantastic development provides high quality transport links for residents and over 10,000 new homes in Barking Riverside, 50 per cent of which will be genuinely affordable.

"I am absolutely focused on doing everything I can from City Hall to build a better London for everyone - a safer, fairer, greener and more prosperous city for all Londoners - and this latest addition to our transport network and development is a key part of that."

Andy Byford, London's Transport Commissioner, stated: "I'm immensely proud to see this fantastic addition to our public transport network at Barking Riverside. It will make a real difference to so many people's lives and it is also a clear example of the importance of investment in transport - it's the key to unlock skills, jobs and homes.

"It's a great credit to all those who worked on the project that we have been able to open the station months earlier than planned and I would like to thank all our partners for their collaborative efforts, including the MSVF joint venture of Morgan Sindall Infrastructure and VolkerFitzpatrick, Network Rail and Arriva Rail London"

Councillor Darren Rodwell, Leader of Barking and Dagenham Council said: "The opening of the Overground extension is another really exciting landmark for our borough, coming closely after Uber Boat by Thames Clippers services commenced operations from the new Barking Riverside Pier. The Overground extension will allow us to unleash more opportunities to build over 30,000 more affordable homes and create thousands of jobs for our residents as London moves eastward."

TfL states that investment in transport benefits the whole country - from supporting jobs and businesses across the UK to ensuring supply chains and manufacturers can retain the skill base and resources to easily and affordably satisfy transport projects in other regions. During the four years of construction, 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 Transport for London (TfL), the project's supply chain partners have supported 39 apprenticeships. Hundreds of jobs have been created and sustained across businesses of all sizes in the 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, with trains built in Derby.

Below: close up of facade of completed Barking Riverside station (Weston Williamson)