Docklands Light Railway’s (DLR) Langdon Park railway station is located in the Tower Hamlets area in the east end of London. Built with an investment of £7.5m, the station was opened in December 2007.
The project was undertaken with the intention of providing a quick and easy transport facility for the residents of Tower Hamlets and local businesses. The station has provided a much needed public link and easy access to the London transport network. It has also filled-in one of the longest gaps on the DLR network.
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The project was jointly funded by various agencies. The Department for Communities and Local Government / Department for Transport contributed £5.7m via the Communities Infrastructure Fund (CIF). Leaside Regeneration, which is a community-based social enterprise, contributed £1.78m. The London Borough of Tower Hamlets provided £0.05m.
The Langdon Park station was the winner of the UK Best Regeneration Project Award 2008. It was also short-listed for the Prime Minister’s Better Public Building Awards for that year.
Langdon Park station history
Pudding Mill Lane, opened in 1996, and Carmen Street (later changed to Langdon Park) were the two sites that were safeguarded as future stations on the DLR’s Stratford line. With the passing of time, the demand for a station at Langdon Park grew.
In response to the continuing campaign for the station, the Leaside Regeneration Agency in association with DLR commissioned an assessment.
This study drew a strong regeneration case, but failed to prove economical. A preliminary feasibility study in May 2000 proved that a case could be made by upgrading Stratford station and thus raising the capacity of the line as a whole. Transport for London funded the Stratford improvements.
In 2005, consultants were hired to reassess the scheme costs and design so that a planning application for the project development could be submitted.
In February 2006, the London Borough of Tower Hamlets granted planning permission for the project. The project contract was awarded to Costain in October that year.
Location and layout of the DLR route station
The Langdon Park railway station is located between All Saints and Devons Road stations on the DLR north route from, Poplar to Stratford.
Situated at the centre of the Teviot and Lansbury housing estates, the station is built at the pedestrian bridge linking Carmen Street and Bright Street next to Langdon Park itself, close to Langdon Park School.
The station has dual entrances and is fully accessible from street level. It is served by two platforms which are connected via a replacement footbridge link from Carmen Street and Hay Currie Street.
Both ends of the bridge are provided with a separate lift shaft for access into the station.
Design and construction of the east London railway station
Construction on the project formally began in November 2006. The main site work began in 2007 after the completion of an initial design phase and site establishment in January.
The existing footbridge and several broken-down buildings in the existing park were demolished first. This was followed by construction of 86m pre-cast concrete (PCC) platforms with structural steel canopies. In order to prevent corrosion, the canopies are coated with ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE).
Installation of a new steel footbridge with a 36m long glass reinforce plastic (GRP) canopy was completed in mid November 2007.
The bridge canopy, which was developed using 3D software, was manufactured off-site in Southampton. It was then transported to the site. The bridge features a transparent cover and sculptural lift towers.
The project involved installation of mechanical and electrical instruments and their integration with the existing network. Hard landscaping works were undertaken at the either end of the footbridge to manage the flow of vehicles and pedestrians.
Contractors involved with Langdon Park station
The project was managed by DLR and design support was provided by the Greater London Authority. Costain was the main contractor. Scott Brownrigg was commissioned to undertake architectural work.
Gifford was the contractor’s structural engineer and lead consultant. AM Structures engineered and built the footbridge roof canopy, the design and analysis of which was undertaken by Gurit.
Business case appraisal, structural, civil and geo-technical engineering services were provided by Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM), an engineering, sciences and project delivery firm.
Acoustics, noise and vibration consultants Southdowns was commissioned to undertake commissioning surveys to make sure the new station is compatible with the DLR noise and vibration policy.
Facilities at the station include passenger information displays, cycle parking, Oyster card validators, help points, shops and ticket machines.
