The extension of London Overground to a brand-new station at the heart of Barking Riverside opens to residents today providing a new quicker, easier and sustainable journey options to this key regeneration area.
The Gospel Oak route, extending out beyond Barking along the new track to Barking Riverside, will help dramatically reduce journey times to Barking to just seven minutes, rather than the current 25-minute bus journey. The route will operate with four trains per hour, providing Barking Riverside with connections to the District and Hammersmith & City lines into central London and c2c trains at Barking.
The opening of the overground extension is another really exciting landmark for our borough, coming closely after Uber Boat by Thames Clipper services commenced operations from the new Barking Riverside Pier.
Residents will also be able to easily interchange with the recently opened Elizabeth line at Forest Gate, which is a short walk from Wanstead Park London Overground station, as well as River Bus services from Barking Riverside pier. The station enables easy interchange with local bus services and has extensive cycle parking facilities helping to promote greener and more sustainable journeys by making it easier for people to start or end their journeys by cycle.
Councillor Darren Rodwell, Leader of the Council said: “The opening of the overground extension is another really exciting landmark for our borough, coming closely after Uber Boat by Thames Clipper services commenced operations from the new Barking Riverside Pier. The overground extension will allow us to unleash more opportunities to build over 30,000 more affordable homes and create thousands of jobs for our residents as London moves eastward.”
Councillor Cameron Geddes, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economic Development said: “It is fantastic to see the new Barking Riverside station open ahead of schedule, glad to say despite being 10 years or more in the making, it is now a reality. This will be a valuable and welcome asset to the residents of this part of the borough, making sure they are now even more connected to not only Barking but beyond.”