A study in London can be developed to explore advantages of implementing a GTS line, but also to learn from a comparison with the Uppsala case study. The London case study has been identified in the recently regenerated area of Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs, which presents the confluence of several national walks, such as Lea Valley Walk, Thames Path and Jubilee Greenway. However, limited Thames crossing connections with the Peninsula (square 3 in Figure) makes interchange and the potential of the regenerated area underexploited (see Figure). Thus, the GTS case study application in London will cover an area of approximately 7 km2 where more than 100,000 people live and there are 52,000 jobs in the area, with an estimated population growth over 30 percent by 2041 according to recent projections.
Although existing road network and public transport systems (such as bus and metro/DLR) exist, the connections between the two sides of the Thames (squares 2, 3 and 4 in Figure), especially for non-motorised mode, are poor, and connectivity between DLR and traditional metro lines is below the average in London. This can be observed looking into the Public Transport Accessibility (PTA) score, which is a measure of the accessibility of a point to the public transport network, taking into account walk access time and service availability. The boroughs covered by the case study present an average value of 3.6 (with certain census wards below 3.0) compared to a London average of 4.0 and surrounding areas with PTA score above 5.0. Recently this gap of accessibility has been highlighted by a report identifying the need for new river crossings in East London. After a consultation period with almost 7,500 responses received, the analysis undertaken has shown that over 90 percent of respondents expressed support for new crossings and the majority of feedback supported the introduction of new fixed link crossings. The proposed GTS line then will complement the planned pedestrian and cycle crossing linking Rotherhithe to Canary Wharf and the greener Silvertown tunnel (see bottom left and right indicators in the figure).
This site presents an interesting configuration since it has a similar catchment area and expected growth rate of the Uppsala site in terms of population/jobs, but since it is located within a bigger city like London, different dynamics and needs will be identified and modelled, including the higher level of multimodality.