§ Mr. SquireTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what further steps he is taking to improve transport for London docklands; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ChannonMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment and I, together with the private sector, are investing heavily to improve access to docklands.
London Regional Transport is taking steps, in co-operation with GEC, to ensure that the docklands light railway fully meets its performance specification. The Government are supporting a major programme of upgrading and extension of the docklands light railway. The service to Bank will be open next year and will be fully operational by 1991. The carrying capacity of the railway will then be more than three times its present level. Further enhancement is planned to meet the needs of the full development at Canary wharf. A Bill to authorise extension of the railway to Beckton is currently before Parliament.
To accommodate the rapid pace of development in docklands, the Government believe that additional rail infrastructure will be required to supplement the docklands light railway. I have therefore established an east London rail study which is examining the best options for improving rail access from central London to docklands and east Thames-side. The study will include Olympia and York's proposal for a new underground railway between Waterloo and Greenwich peninsula via the Isle of Dogs, and the options canvassed in the docklands access consultation document on which LRT and the LDDC are currently seeking views. The work is being carried out by Halcrow Fox and Associates for my Department, the Department of the Environment and LRT. It would take into account the benefits which new rail links will provide to property owners and developers and the contributions which they should be expected to provide. It will also take into account the potential for new housing development in East Thames-side. Subject to the conclusions of the east London rail study and to the negotiation of satisfactory contributions from all developers concerned, the Government would wish to see a new line built and the deposit of a Bill in November this year.
In parallel with these improvements in the public transport network, a substantial programme of work is in hand to give docklands an effective internal road network and link it to the strategic road system. The LDDC is proceeding, subject to the statutory procedures, with its plans for Limehouse link road to be completed by 1993 and with other new schemes to serve docklands traffic. Within my own programme, I am developing the strategic road network in east London through improvement to the A 13, the Hackney/M11 link, upgrading the north circular road and extending it to the A2 via the east London river crossing.
In order to carry forward the improvement of transport to and within docklands, I am asking my hon. Friend the Minister of State to take the lead in co-ordinating the activities of the various agencies involved and to ensure an adequate level of service while construction work is being carried out. He will be supported by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment with special responsibility for inner cities.