Stratford International - Testing yet?

I thought there were quite a few people using the Intl station, and have to bus it to the main station. I see yesterday the TBTC loop is now being laid, so must be still a couple of months away before that is all finished and tested. I reckon it will be March 2011 when it opens.

There is also more to the railway than simply Stratford (regional) to Stratford International.
There are the intermediate stations between Stratford and Canning Town that the local communities will be waiting for.
Direct trains from the Beckton branch to Stratford will be a great benefit to the hundreds of UEL staff and students that commute between the Docklands and Straford campuses. Relieving pressure on Canning Town station, the Jubilee Line and probably also the 262 bus as well. I'm sure the direct trains from the Woolwich Arsenal branch to Stratford will be equally welcomed.

This map on the TfL website (www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/dlr-route-map.pdf) says that the section of the DLR from Canning Town to Stratford International will be "Opening early 2011".

We think it will affect people, for there is a complete silence on how things at Canning Town will be organised once it opens, and the present convenient and well-designed interchange to/from the DLR will be replaced by trains to Beckton and to Woolwich leaving for those points from two widely-separated platforms. We have no idea whether they will operate alternately, which will leave some very wide gaps from either platform at quiet times, or whether the services on each route will be doubled at these quiet times (most unlikely).

Having watched, from the current DLR platform at Canning Town over the last year or so, the new platform which was only apparently rebuilt about 10 years ago for the previous North Woolwich railway route being demolished and then rebuilt, in such a longwinded and extravagant manner, and in pretty much the same style as before, we find it difficult to believe that there is any realistic grip on how things will operate.

It's 'early 2011' - from the Commissioner's Report to the 4th November TfL Board meeting (PDF, page 8):

4.2 Docklands Light Railway (DLR)

The Stratford International extension will now be opening in early 2011 once construction and testing of the line is complete. Test trains are scheduled to start running on the extension in November. The extension will be delivered well in advance of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and in time for the new Westfield Shopping Centre opening in Stratford later in 2011.


So the note on the DLR route map mentioned above is correct. Has anyone seen any test trains running on the line yet?

No test trains to speak of yet as stated earlier in the thread the TBTC loop cable is still being installed, so until that is in and tested you won't be seeing any trains.

Spotted at Canning town platform 2 around 1 hour ago when i was passing on a jubliee line train. A 2 car b2007 and a 3 car B2007. both with no lights on. seems the testing is now ready to start

I saw these too.

www.flickr.com/photos/92438714@N00/5233024420/

You may wish to see
www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/dlr-route-map.pdf

Saw 319 at 16.10 today coming round the corner from the tunnel at Stratford heading towards Stratford International on test.

Well that was the number on the front, I'm not an avid DLR spotter so no idea of numbering. Couldn't stare at it too long as I was approaching a red just before Stratford.

It does also provide the essential link between Stratford Regional and Stratford International.

Units 112 & 153 working from Stratford towards West Ham in slow speed at 15.35

bus route 276 runs along the railway and provides a important link between east and north London. Which was running all the time the old north London Line was running.
Dont forget that one of the Biggest shopping centers will open at Stratford plus the thousands of new homes and the jobs that go with it.
Ps. 319 must be 119 as that is now at Canning Town