NEW DLR TRAINS OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED On Thursday 13th March the first three of the new trains for the Docklands Light Railway were officially launched by Ken Livingstone, John Armitt and Dean Macey at West India Quay station.
Units 104, 105 and 106 were coupled together for the event to show the three car train configuration which will be used from 2010 when the improvement works start to be completed. The launch emphasised that the DLR will form a central part of the transport infrastructure for the 2012 Olympic Games being held in the capital.
Ken Livingstone commented: “"Delivery of these new trains is great news for passengers today, and for the passengers of the future. They're modern, they're spacious and they demonstrate once again our commitment to delivering a world class transport network on time and on budget that will serve the 2012 Games and provide a much improved service for Londoners."
The new units will initially enter service alongside the current two car trains (it is unclear whether the current units and these will be able to work in multiple – but presumably they will). The new design is described as being sleeker with increased window space. Testing is currently taking place of the new units and it is planned that the first will enter service this spring with deliveries continuing until next year and the last of the 55 on order likely to be in service by the end of 2009.
These units have been ordered to cope with an expected increase in passenger numbers from the current 65 million a year to 100 million a year by 2012. This increase will partly be down to new extensions opening – to Woolwich on 29th February 2009 and Stratford International in 2010.
* Photos of the new units at their launch at West India Quay are available at The Railway Centre - click here.
Source: Docklands Light Railway
Docklands Light Railway – Sunday 16th March 2008
This is what the new units look like, as this mock-up at London’s Transport Museum at Covent Garden shows. Picture taken on 10th March 2008.
Photo: Gareth Prior