TfL wants to implement a bus transit scheme between Thamesmead, Woolwich and Abbey Wood, with the project promising to provide “faster and more reliable” journey times for passengers, including to the Elizabeth line.

Transport bosses say that the scheme would unlock 1,500 new homes, allowing development to start before a planned extension of the DLR to Thamesmead, says NewsShopper.

This 3.5km extension of the line from Gallions Reach would also include a new station at Beckton Riverside and a tunnel across the Thames, but funding is yet to be secured for the £1 billion project, which TfL says it wants to open in 2032.

The proposed bus transit scheme would provide better public transport services in the area during this interim period. TfL previously had until 2026 to use £23 million worth of government funding for the project, but in a recently published report, it was revealed that this deadline has been extended until 2029.

This will allow more time to “revisit the scope of the scheme” and deliver a “more ambitious proposition”, TfL has claimed.

“The project would provide a high-quality bus service, walking and cycling improvements in Thamesmead, creating opportunities for active travel and enhanced connectivity throughout the area and in particular to and from the bus stops,” the report says.

It has also been confirmed that the bus transit scheme is separate from new proposals to introduce a Superloop route that stops in Thamesmead, which will serve much of the same area.

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