Is it a tube? Is it a train? Is it a tram? Who knows. What we do know, however, is that it’s partially closed for ten days starting from this Saturday (August 19).
From August 19 – August 29, the Docklands Light Railway will be closed between Stratford International and Canning Town, so that TfL can carry out some necessary maintenance work. The works are primarily taking place between Star Lane and West Ham, but the whole stretch of the line is having to be closed due to there being nowhere else to easily reverse the trains.
During the works, some key components of the track will be replaced for the first time since the line opened in 2011. Old railway sleepers will be replaced with concrete ones, and ground strengthening work will be carried out to prevent sections of the new track sinking in the older track bed. Other preventative maintenance will be taking place to reduce the need for future closures.
Luckily, the Jubilee line runs parallel to the DLR between Canning Town and Stratford but passengers travelling to Star Lane, Abbey Road and Stratford High Street will need to take a bus as the Jubilee line trains do not stop at those stations.
Tom Page, TfL’s general manager for the DLR, said: ‘This closure between Stratford International and Canning Town is to allow vital track maintenance works to take place so that we can continue to offer customers a safe and reliable service across the DLR network. I would like to thank customers for their patience while these routine works take place and would ask anyone travelling to plan ahead, allowing plenty of time for any journey.’
More information can be found on the TfL website.