Tower Gateway DLR station

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Tower Gateway
Location
Place	Tower Hill
Local authority	City of London

Operations
Managed by	Docklands Light Railway
Platforms in use	2

Transport for London
Zone	1
History
Key dates	Opened 1987
Transport for London List of London stations: Underground \| National Rail

Tower Gateway is a Docklands Light Railway station situated near the Tower of London. It adjoins the tracks to Fenchurch Street station and is on the site of the closed Minories railway station.

It was opened in 1987 as the western terminus of the initial DLR system, serving the City of London financial district. The underground extension to Bank, which opened in 1991, diverges from the original route between Tower Gateway and Shadwell (the next station to the east) and dives down a steep ramp which is just visible from the eastern end of the platform.

Tower Gateway is the terminus for the less busy DLR service to Beckton. Journeys to other branches of the DLR normally require a change. The station provides good access to the area around the Tower of London and is only a short walk from Tower Hill tube station and Fenchurch Street station. It is in Travelcard Zone 1.

In keeping with the DLR's original basic lightweight philosophy, Tower Gateway is a simple elevated two-track terminus. It currently has a narrow central platform. Access to the street is via escalator, stairs or lift at the western end of the station. A narrow secondary staircase entrance is also provided at the eastern end.

The station as originally built was served by two tracks and a cross-over but when the extension to Bank was opened its importance was substantially reduced. There is now only a single track leading from the main route to a set of diverging points immediately prior to the platforms.

Further major alterations will take place at the station between 30 June 2008 and April 2009. It will be closed and rebuilt as a single-track terminus to enable enable 3-car trains to use the station. It will have a platform on each side of the train, using one for arriving passengers and the other for departures.