[14] The interchange is on a north–south alignment, constrained by Bow Creek immediately to the west, Silvertown Way to the east, the A13 Canning Town Flyover (a major east–west road bridge crossing the Canning Town Roundabout at the throat of the station) to the north, and the River Thames to the south, while directly next to the River Lea.

In the late 1980s, plans for the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) extension to Beckton considered various options - either running directly east/west between Blackwall and Royal Victoria, or following the River Lea to call at Canning Town.

[19][20] The DLR extension to Beckton began running through the future station site in March 1994.

On 31 August 2011 these platforms re-opened on the new Stratford International branch of the Docklands Light Railway.

[12] In October 2019, the station was hit by Extinction Rebellion (XR) protests, causing the suspension of services at rush hour.

During the protest, two XR members climbed on top of a train, one appearing to kick commuters who were attempting to remove them.

As well as entrances onto Silvertown Way and Barking Road, an entrance facing Bow Creek allows access to London City Island via the Leamouth Lifting Footbridge, Bow Creek Ecology Park and the Limmo Peninsula.

[29] Carved into the walls of a station staircase, an artwork by Richard Kindersley commemorates the Thames Iron Works, which previously stood on the site.