Docklands Light Railway and its contractors are putting the finishing touches to Transport for London’s new DLR extension at Woolwich, ready for the opening in January 2009.
Work includes tidying up entrances at Woolwich New Road and at Greens End, reinstating walkways and doing some early landscaping before plants can go in.
Big signs are also being installed this month at the Greens End entrance which will be giving up-to-date information about the scheme's progress.
Test trains
Shawn Hill is the engineering manager for Woolwich Arsenal Rail Enterprises, the company responsible for financing, designing, building and maintaining the scheme.
He said: "We’ve had 'test' trains coming through since the end of the summer.
"First, a 'gauge train' with only a test train operative on board goes through and we check if we have the correct gaps between the structures.
"DLR trains have no driver, they’re run by computer. So, during the last weekend in October we were checking the automatic train control system. Also, we’ve had a lot of trains running up and down while we’ve assimilated signals from the new extension into the rest of the network."
System checks
A full-scale 'System Performance' demonstration, running four two-car trains at different intervals to make sure everything works correctly was scheduled earlier this month.
Three three-car trains will also be tried out - so the Woolwich extension of the DLR will be ready to take the longer trains later, once the rest of the network has also been suitably adapted.
Ready for days out and the 2012 Games
Once the new route is open, it will be five stops to Canning Town where passengers can get the Jubilee Line into central London.
It’s also two stops to Stratford from Canning Town - so we’re all set for the London 2012 Olympics!
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