Beckton

Beckton is the eastern end of the Docklands Light Railway’s Beckton branch in east London. The line curves 180 degrees at the station so trains leaving for central London head east first. A large depot sits between Beckton and the next stop, Gallions Reach, storing and maintaining the DLR fleet. The station is in fare zone 3, a change from zone 4 when fares were reorganised in 2000. Plans in the 1970s to extend the Jubilee line to Beckton were abandoned because of cost. The station opened on 28 March 1994 as part of the DLR’s eastward expansion from Poplar. During peak hours trains run every few minutes, reaching sixteen an hour in each direction. Off-peak there are twelve trains an hour, half of them continuing to Tower Gateway. A new bus station opened opposite the DLR entrance in November 2008, linking Beckton with the rest of east London. The unstaffed station has ticket machines and facilities for Oyster card top-ups. From Beckton, westbound trains head east before turning back towards central London. The route passes Gallions Reach, where the line swings round to cross the Royal Docks area. The depot between the two stations keeps the DLR running smoothly day and night.