The original Island Gardens DLR station was opened on 31 August 1987 as the southern terminus of the initial system.[8] It was built adjacent to the site of the old North Greenwich railway station, which had been the southern terminus of the former Millwall Extension Railway. It was elevated with two platforms, each capable of accommodating a single-car train. The station required significant rebuilding to allow the platforms to take two-car trains. [citation needed]
The extension to Lewisham passes under the River Thames in a deep tube tunnel. This required a new station to be built slightly further away from the river, north of Manchester Road, and underground. The original station and the southern end of the connecting viaduct have since been demolished.[9]
Pre-opening incident
On 10 March 1987, before the system opened, a test train crashed through buffer stops at the original high-level Island Gardens terminus and was left hanging from the end of the elevated track. The accident was caused by unauthorised tests being run before the correct installation of the wayside safety system had been verified; an omission in the wayside system allowed the train to travel too fast on the approach to the terminus. The train was being driven manually at the time.[10][11][12]
Connections
Island Gardens in 1987
London Buses routes 135, the D prefix route D7 and night route N550 serve the station.
Services
The typical off-peak service in trains per hour from Island Gardens is:[13]
Additional services call at the station during the peak hours, increasing the service to up to 22 tph in each direction, with up to 8 tph during the peak hours running to and from Stratford instead of Bank.
^Report on the Docklands Light Railway Accident Which Occurred at Island Gardens Station on 10 March 1987, Modern Railways (London), May 1987.[page needed]
^"'Unauthorised Tests' Caused DLR Crash", Modern Railways (London), June 1987.[page needed]
