please empty your brain below
To be fair, the gap between DLR trains can be anything up to 10 minutes, depending on the week, the number of events on at ExCeL, and the phase of the moon...

Andrew | 09.10.11 - 1:29 a.m. | #

Average DLR frequencies on the Beckton line:
weekday morning peak: every 8 minutes
weekday evening peak: every 9 minutes
at all other times: every 5 minutes

diamond geezer | Homepage | 09.10.11 - 1:33 a.m. | #

Yes, but when an event is on at ExCeL, as Andrew says DLR trains can be every two minutes.

I think it will be most useful when the Jubilee (one of the tubes least reliable lines) goes down, and then all the people stuck at North Greenwich can hop over to the DLR and continue their journey from there.

Geofftech | Homepage | 09.10.11 - 2:22 a.m. | #

ps. Will Oyster cards be able to be used on it? If not, add more time for buying a ticket.

pps. All the people in the computer-generated-similation video that Emirate have made are white. #justsaying

Geofftech | Homepage | 09.10.11 - 2:26 a.m. | #

The connection is short DLR to Jubilee but not 30 seconds Tube to DLR.

Plus you'll be able to take your bike on the Cable car.

At the end of the day this your blog and I like a lot of what you do and I think you do a lot of good stuff on Transport, but it has long been apparent that you hate Boris with a passion. It's begun to taint everything. Your analysis of anything Boris related can not be seen as objective.

Rational Plan | 09.10.11 - 2:28 a.m. | #

It does seem a bit nutty to have reduced frequency at peak times to Beckton but that's what the DLR timetable from Canning Town platforms 1 & 3 seems to indicate..

felix | 09.10.11 - 8:21 a.m. | #

If Boris just said "this cable car is for the tourists and for people who aren't in much of a hurry to get anywhere. Cute isn't it?" then there wouldn't be a problem. It'd be like the bridge over the Royal Victoria Dock; a nice shortcut with good views.

The irritating part is Boris's insistence that this is the great transport revolution, and that every car will be stuffed full of businessmen on their way to the city.

Scott | Homepage | 09.10.11 - 8:24 a.m. | #

felix

That's because there need to be more trains on the Woolwich branch at peak times, so the Startford branch trains only serve Beckton off peak

Timbo | 09.10.11 - 9:57 a.m. | #

I don't find Diamond particularly anti-Boris - he has a sharp critical eye for everything transport

daguerrotype - aka 'Midnight Cowboy' | 09.10.11 - 11:14 a.m. | #

But it's really all about regeneration, which is why the LDA were leading it until they were earmarked for abolition and the baton was passed to TfL. Here's my take on the regeneration angle: http://londondocklands.wordpress.com/2011/10/08/royal-docks-and-the-emirates-air-line/

SELondoner | Homepage | 09.10.11 - 11:36 a.m. | #

My understanding is that this has supplanted a planned foot/bike bridge crossing so while, in the abstract, I quite like the idea of a cable car crossing the Thames as a novelty idea, in practical terms it's an enormous wasted opportunity.

disgruntled | Homepage | 09.10.11 - 12:01 p.m. | #

Exactly, disgruntled.

But you have to bear in mind that the bridge was crossing was deemed unaffordable because it was estimated to cost some £65 million whereas he cable car is estimated to cost a only, ahem, £60 million.


Pedantic of Purley | 09.10.11 - 1:43 p.m. | #

The same cable car crossing ('Meridian Skyway'), intended to be completed for the Millenium, was abandoned due to financing problems though only priced at £10m.

Now it's been pulled out of mothballs, been turned into a giant ad for Emirates and has mysteriously inflated to £60m+.

There is an interesting analysis of the outrageous cost and opaque procurement of the project (it will be the most expensive cable crossing ever constructed) here:

http://gondolaproject.com/2011/09/26/exploring-the-thames-cable-car-costs/

"As someone who happens to know a little bit about cable transit systems, let be me completely blunt: There is absolutely, positively, completely no reason whatsoever this project should cost London taxpayers ~$100m USD."

Charles | Homepage | 09.10.11 - 2:32 p.m. | #

If TFL are in charge, I doubt the pedestrian bridge would have come in at £65 million. Also the bridge was several miles up river, the cable car covers a much greater distance.

I also note that TFL managed to rack up £15 million in legal and design fees in the Build cost.

You might as well ask why any infrastucture project costs so much in this country. £750 million for a couple of escalator shafts and a new ticket hall at Victoria, or £16 billion for Crossrail.

Meanwhile the French plan 130 miles of new automated metro for Paris at just £20 billion.

Rational Plan | 09.10.11 - 3:16 p.m. | #

I just love the term 'Dangleway' and will be using it at every opportunity.

Dan | Homepage | 09.10.11 - 3:18 p.m. | #

Spectacular views - eh? What of?

B | 09.10.11 - 4:09 p.m. | #

I don't care what it costs, if it cuts a few minutes of a journey, I care not.
But ride that cable car, I would, and so would lots of tourists.

Michael | 09.10.11 - 4:48 p.m. | #

I'm assuming then that Travelcard holders will still have to pay to use the cable car then? At least with the riverboats (which have a small fee for Travelcard holders), you get a fantastic view and the journey lasts more than a few minutes.

Andrewh | Homepage | 09.10.11 - 6:55 p.m. | #

Re: the footbridge cost of £65 million, the business case put it at £107 million, and that was a few years ago now, so probably at least £120 million now. And the river's wider here, and takes larger ships (as far as the Greenwich ship tier).

SELondoner | Homepage | 10.10.11 - 8:06 a.m. | #

What's the hurry.

Colininthailand | 10.10.11 - 10:41 a.m. | #

@geofftech - maybe computer simulator doesn't do dishdash....

Paul | 10.10.11 - 12:02 p.m. | #

Your analysis of the time benefits, DG, is spot on i.e. none! This is a yet another sweetener for two highly commercial organisations, ExCeL and AEG. Given they are the main beneficiaries, surely they should make up any shortfall not raised by the Emirates sponsorship. Why the poor traveling public have to get stung through higher tube and bus fares is beyond me.

Mr Reasonable | Homepage | 11.10.11 - 8:55 p.m. | #











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