Congestion on the DLR Lewisham to Bank route will be eased by the introduction of the first three-car trains.

Extended platforms have now been completed on this section of the track. It will be the first section of the DLR to take advantage of 55 new carriages costing TFL £100million.

At the launch of the new trains on 3rd March, GLA transport adviser, Kulveer Ranger said: “We know the Bank to Lewisham branch is the most congested and heavily used and this will alleviate that demand and stress in rush hour.” He added: “This carriage feels a lot more airy, the doors have more glass, it’s a smoother journey, has better braking and, of course, more capacity.”

The expansion bodes well for Lewisham, with the Canary Wharf Group saying: “History shows that increased transport capacity in east London has stimulated regeneration, investment and new jobs, so today’s announcement is good news for all of the Docklands area.”

As well as benefiting the local community the expansion will also be a benefit for the Olympics, with the DLR expected to carry up to 500,000 people a day during the games, which is more than double the current weekday average.

Jonathan Fox, Director of the DLR, said at the launch of the new carriages : “Today marks another major milestone for DLR and its passengers as our network is further enhanced and improved. With the Stratford International extension set to open later this year, we are in great shape to meet passenger demand now and over the course of the next few years.”

Lewisham resident Francesca Waite, 20, agreed: “I think it is great. Summer is unbearable on a packed DLR train, so the new carriages will be a breath of fresh air.”

Despite the positive reaction of the majority, a poster on wharf.co.uk said: “the DLR has been severely congested for at least 8 years. At the moment, the majority of trains on the Bank – Lewisham branch are still two car. There only seems to be one three car train running. And lets not get started on the frequency of trains – during the rush hour the frequency of trains has actually decreased. Overall the DLR runs an extremely poor service and I fail to see why it is getting such praise.”

While at present only the Bank to Lewisham branch of the line has three car trains, the rest of the DLR network will be benefiting from the new trains over the coming year.

Rail travellers have condemned new gates at Brockley train station which they say have caused overcrowding and an ’unpleasant atmosphere’ at busy times.

The station which was taken over by Transport for London in September 2009, had gates installed last year in the ticket office.

Users say the gates have been causing dangerous overcrowding at busy times.

Although the gates were put in place to catch those passengers attempting to travel for free, residents of Brockley say this  was a pointless exercise because when the area  becomes overcrowded, staff open the gates to let passengers through.

Passengers using the station are appealing for the gates to be open permanently in order to prevent the overcrowding.

Posters on Brockleycentral.blogspot.com “The Online Home For All Things Brockley” have voiced their concerns at the overcrowding.

One poster wrote “[this] is clearly ridiculous. The amount they save from fare dodgers would be negligible anyway compared to the lawsuit for someone falling down the stairs because of the overcrowding. The atmosphere is really unpleasant with all the pushing and shoving. It makes me dread using the train more than ever.”

Another wrote “The current situation is an absolute mess. If they can’t install a set of gates and a ticket office which are large enough to cope with the volume of people, then they shouldn’t force people through the gates/office. It’s as simple as that.”

In the long term Brockley station is due to be re-modeled, but  rail users want TFL to come up with a short to medium long-term solution.

A TFL spokesperson said: “The gates at Brockley station were introduced by Southern, and we inherited this system in September 2009. Since then, no accidents have been reported at the station. However, our stations team is due to go on site at Brockley in the next few weeks to observe passenger flows and determine whether action is required there.”

Hundreds of motorists caught using a Croydon bus lane will appeal against fines running into thousands of pounds, claiming traffic queues left them no alternative.

Over £44,000 of fines were handed out by Croydon Council to drivers caught driving in the bus lane on Tamworth Road to avoid traffic near the town’s Centrale Shopping Centre.

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TfL has announced a major £70m refurbishment of the Victorian-era Blackwall Tunnel in east London.

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Lewisham Freedom Pass holders have something to look forward to this Friday as an exhibition roadshow will be touring Lewisham’s shopping centre to provide information and distribute application forms for current pass holders to renew their pass.

Paid for by London’s boroughs, the scheme allows Londoners aged 60 and over, and eligible disabled residents, to travel for free on all forms of public transport in the capital as well as on local buses across the country.

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Boris Johnson paid a visit to Shoreditch High Street station this week to see the last phase of its development before the new East London Line opens later this year. (more…)

Road restrictions in place since last summer will continue to plague Dalston commuters in the New Year, East London Lines can exclusively reveal.

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For all your London transport needs over the festive period ELL gives you the low down on the hold-ups across the boroughs: (more…)

Croydon residents can now travel directly to IKEA, following TfL’s announcement to extend bus route 463 to serve Coulsdon South station via Brighton Road.

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A high-speed ‘Javelin’ train, which will be used to transport Olympic athletes between King’s Cross and Stratford, went into service on Sunday.

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