Barking Riverside contracts awarded

Contracts for the Barking Riverside extension have been awarded by Transport for London.

Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure and VolkerFitzpatrick (MSVF) will build the 2.8-mile extension, which is due to open in late 2021.

Construction will start early this year. TfL says the building of 10,800 new homes will be unlocked by the extension, which will be served by London Overground.

MSVF will build the extension from Tilbury Loop (between Barking and Dagenham Dock stations) and Barking Riverside, reconfigure Ripple Lane Goods Yard to enable the extension to connect to the Loop, and construct a viaduct over Ripple Lane yard, which will also require building over the Tilbury Loop and foundations built between the HS1 tunnels.

The viaduct will continue for a further mile into the heart of the planned new Barking Riverside development, where a new terminus station is being built.

A new school, healthcare facilities and a new district centre all form part of the development.

Four trains per hour will serve the route when it opens.