At Canning Town station, if you look west while waiting on platform 2, you’ll spot a unique quirk of London’s transportation: DLR trains chugging along above the Tube trains on the lower platforms.
Unlike other multi-level platform arrangements seen at St Paul’s or Chancery Lane, this particular setup at Canning Town is also visible from the street.
The design, where DLR platforms 3 and 4 sit over Tube platforms 5 and 6, saves space and reduces land costs for Transport for London by consolidating two railways within the footprint of one.
However, it does have its drawbacks. For instance, DLR trains going southwards to Woolwich Arsenal and Beckton may leave from either “downstairs” platforms 1/2 or “upstairs” platform 3.
Canning Town used to be a regular old train station before the arrival of the DLR and Jubilee line there
(Image: Callum Marius)
To navigate between these, passengers must trek through a subway that dips to a basement level and then climb back up, causing potential confusion and delays when services are redirected, cancelled or full – leading to a chaotic dash across the station to switch platforms in search of the next departing train.
Canning Town, once a humble National Rail stop with just two platforms, has undergone significant changes since the 1990s. The arrival of both the DLR and Jubilee line extensions transformed it into an interchange station.
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