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Buses are an underrated way of getting around London. Not only are they airier and brighter than the tube, but they let you gaze out at the city as you pass through it. Dreamy.
And now London could be about to get even more gorgeous bus services. In last week’s Autumn Statement, the government revealed plans to invest a whopping £23 million in a new bus network in east London.
The new routes are part of a grand project dubbed ‘Docklands 2.0’, which intends to add tens of thousands of new homes around the River Thames in east London. The buses will likely link up Thamesmead with Elizabeth line stations at Woolwich and Abbey Wood, and they’ll be limited-stop ‘rapid’ services.
And that ain’t the only big infrastructure project coming to Thamesmead. Earlier this year TfL reiterated plans to extend the DLR out east from Gallions Reach to Beckton Riverside and Thamesmead. It’s worth mentioning, however, that rumours of this DLR extension have been swirling since at least 2016 – there’s no guarantee it’ll be happening anytime soon.
Time Out’s take
With no tube or rail links, Thamesmead remains one of London’s worse-connected areas. So any improvement upon that is welcome – and a ‘rapid’ bus service will certain help things until that DLR extension actually becomes a reality.
Did you see that the Elizabeth line just had its busiest month yet?
Plus: inside the Piccadilly Line’s new air-conditioned, walk-through trains.
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