Barclays Cicle Hire Expansion, pic: TFL

Serco Group PLC signed a £50 million expansion contract to support the expansion for the Barclay’s Cycle Hire Scheme into East London.

The contract will run until 2015 and include the design, operation and installation of the scheme in Tower Hamlets.

The expansion will add over 200 new docking stations, approximately 4,500 new docking points, and 2,300 new bikes into the scheme.

Additional docking stations will be made available in West London surrounding the Westfield Shopping Centre as well as new docking stations at some existing sites in the current area of service.

The development will increase the number of stations in Bethnal Green, Bow, Canary Wharf, Mile End, Poplar and Shoreditch.

Chief Executive of Serco Group, Chris Hyman, says, “We are delighted to be expanding our partnership with Transport for London and the service that we will be providing to the city.”

“We have made a number of developments to the scheme over the past year and are committed to continually improving the quality of the service that we are providing.”

A spokesperson for Serco stated that the expansion will not happen this year but it is expected to be up and running before the London Olympics 2012.

The expansion area will connect the Olympic Park in Stratford to Central London.

According to TFL, the expansion of the scheme will be completed in Spring 2012, but the exact date is yet to be released.

If you notice docking stations springing up near you, get in touch – we’d love to know more about this exciting development!