£1 billion East London train route opens

Train line runs from Dalston Junction to West Croydon.

London Overground's new £1 billion east London route, which builds on and extends the old East London line, has opened to the public, ahead of schedule and on budget.

It will run from Dalston Junction in the north via the City and Docklands to New Cross, Crystal Palace and West Croydon in the south and provide access to jobs, education and leisure opportunities.

The line will first offer a limited service of eight trains per hour from 7:00 till 20:00, Monday to Friday, from Dalston Junction to New Cross Gate stations, with a full service operating from Dalston Junction to West Croydon beginning on May 23.

When fully operational, 12 trains an hour will run through the core New Cross Gate to Dalston Junction section.

When the line is connected to the wider London Overground network, in the north by spring next year and in the south by mid-2012, the Capital's orbital railway will be complete.

The new line delivers 20 new walk-through and air-conditioned Class 378 Electrostar trains, with a further 13 to join by 2012. They have a capacity of 494 each, carrying some 100,000 passengers a day in year one, as well as driver-monitored CCTV, wider doors and gangways, and wheelchair spaces.

Also, four new modern and fully-accessible stations for Hackney, with state-of-the-art audio-visual customer communications and CCTV and 14 refurbished stations with upgraded CCTV, passenger information systems and lighting, with staff on duty at all times when trains are running.

Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy, said: "It delivers four new London Overground stations and a huge increase in the number of travel possibilities to residents and travellers in a single day."

"It will also help relieve peak congestion on buses and Tubes by offering an alternative journey to those forced to travel into central London before reaching their final destination."

Further information:
London Overground