The view down Woolwich's main shopping street has changed. Just past Gregg's, at the very top of Powis Street, the new Woolwich Arsenal DLR station is open for business. Greenwich council are celebrating on the pavement outside with a roadshow. Free flags, free balloons, Brazilian samba dancers and advice on recycling. Two moustachioed jugglers cycle by, followed by a band of musical clowns. Local shoppers are curious, and some are inspired. A family of six heads off to experience their new rail service, buying a ticket to one stop up the line just so they can say they've been there and back again. Slightly too many police officers are standing by the ticket barriers, presumably for reassurance, but it doesn't quite feel that way. A brightly coloured mural sweeps round the walls at the top of the escalator, featuring giant everyday objects depicted simpler than life. An umbrella, a guitar, a watch - they make two elderly ladies laugh and smile. The station below is nothing so decorative, merely a featureless subterranean box with a central island platform. Trains to Bank depart alternately from either side, with another escalator at the far end leading up to mainline services and an alternative exit. A train arrives, opens its doors and disgorges its minor cargo. Not a lot of people yet want to travel here, and many of those who do today are carrying cameras. There's a civilised dash for the front four seats, because these are Woolwich's first driverless trains and everybody wants to see the view. As the train pulls off into the tunnel more spectators walk forward, anxious to miss nothing on their inaugural trip. Faster, faster beneath the Thames, around a gentle swooping curve through rings of glowing blue light. It's a three minute switchback, much faster than the ferry or foot tunnel, until finally the train emerges from the depths and pulls into King George V. The crowd retreats, or sits back down, or leaps off the train to take even more photos. It may all look dead ordinary tomorrow, but yesterday this cross-river lifeline was something special.
The view down Woolwich's main shopping street has changed. Just past Gregg's, at the very top of Powis Street, the new Woolwich Arsenal DLR station is open for business. Greenwich council are celebrating on the pavement outside with a roadshow. Free flags, free balloons, Brazilian samba dancers and advice on recycling. Two moustachioed jugglers cycle by, followed by a band of musical clowns. Local shoppers are curious, and some are inspired. A family of six heads off to experience their new rail service, buying a ticket to one stop up the line just so they can say they've been there and back again. Slightly too many police officers are standing by the ticket barriers, presumably for reassurance, but it doesn't quite feel that way. A brightly coloured mural sweeps round the walls at the top of the escalator, featuring giant everyday objects depicted simpler than life. An umbrella, a guitar, a watch - they make two elderly ladies laugh and smile. The station below is nothing so decorative, merely a featureless subterranean box with a central island platform. Trains to Bank depart alternately from either side, with another escalator at the far end leading up to mainline services and an alternative exit. A train arrives, opens its doors and disgorges its minor cargo. Not a lot of people yet want to travel here, and many of those who do today are carrying cameras. There's a civilised dash for the front four seats, because these are Woolwich's first driverless trains and everybody wants to see the view. As the train pulls off into the tunnel more spectators walk forward, anxious to miss nothing on their inaugural trip. Faster, faster beneath the Thames, around a gentle swooping curve through rings of glowing blue light. It's a three minute switchback, much faster than the ferry or foot tunnel, until finally the train emerges from the depths and pulls into King George V. The crowd retreats, or sits back down, or leaps off the train to take even more photos. It may all look dead ordinary tomorrow, but yesterday this cross-river lifeline was something special.
