The new era of trains on the Docklands Light Railway is upon us following the entry into service of 209 on Tuesday 30th September 2025. Part of the Inneo family of vehicles from CAF the class is designated as B23 on the DLR (following on from tradition where the B signifies the main depot of Beckton and 23 the year, yes they are late entering service!).
The introduction of the new trains has been challenging with various issues discovered during testing. This included problems with the trains communicating with the existing signalling system but these now seem to have been resolved allowing the first of the units to enter service.
Up until fairly recently testing had been mainly confined to periods when the DLR was not running a public service (such as overnight or at weekends when there were line closures) but a sure sign that things were progressing in the right direction came in early September when daylight testing started with several of the units working out of service in between service trains.
And then Tuesday 30th September 2025 came and 209 was allocated to service on the Stratford International to Woolwich Arsenal service. It didn’t manage a full day with it being taken out of service just before the evening rush hour, but it was back out again on Wednesday 1st October which saw an official press launch for the trains.
209 is the first of 54 trains which will enter service over the next year or so (its planned all will be in use by the end of 20926) and they are said to bring whole new levels of comfort for passengers. For the first time on the DLR they are fully walkthrough units (rather than two or three trains having to couple together and also feature air conditioning, real-time travel updates, and mobile charging points.
Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, said: “This is an exciting day in east and south London with the introduction of these brand-new trains marking a major milestone in the transformation of the DLR to improve travel for millions of Londoners.
“These new trains are amazing. Built with the latest cutting-edge design and technology, the trains will have 10 per cent bigger capacity, improved onboard customer information, mobile device charging points, air conditioning and better accessibility features for all passengers.
“The new DLR trains will significantly improve reliability and support growth in new homes and jobs, particularly for Londoners in areas like Stratford, Woolwich Arsenal and the Isle of Dogs. I’m committed to modernising infrastructure on London’s transport network, which is vital for faster, greener and safer journeys that are accessible for all.”
Andy Lord, London’s Transport Commissioner, commented: “These state-of-the-art trains will transform customers’ journeys across the DLR network. Boosting capacity and improving reliability, these new trains will help the DLR keep pace with growing demand in this part of the capital. Customers will benefit from more comfortable, frequent, and accessible services.”
Richard Graham, Managing Director of KeolisAmey Docklands, added: “We are proud to support Transport for London in introducing this new fleet and are excited to be operating and maintaining it over the coming years.
“For passengers, these trains mean more space, comfort and reliability. For our people, they provide the latest tools and technology to keep the DLR running safely and smoothly every day. Above all, this investment is about unlocking the potential of east London – helping its communities thrive as new homes, jobs and opportunities are created. We look forward to playing our part in delivering that growth together with TfL.”
The full introduction of these trains will allow for the complete withdrawal of the entire older fleet of trains. That will include 23 B90s, 47 B92s and 24 B2Ks. Although this makes it seem that a lot fewer trains are replacing a larger number each B23 is longer and has more capacity than those they are replacing. All in all capacity will be increased by 50% through the introduction of the new trains.
So far, just one train is being used in service but as soon as possible additional units will also be added to the timetable. At the moment there is no news on when the temporary reduced timetable will be replaced by more frequent services.
On its third day in service 209 is seen here departing from Stratford High Street on its way to Stratford International. The unit was in service on the Woolwich Arsenal-Stratford International service.
Two other B23 units were also out, both on test. This is 238 (the other was 201) which is seen pulling into Stratford High Street.
A view of one of the doors of 238 showing the temporary signage letting everyone know its on test,
The new trains feature real time information tracking where the train is on the line. Here we see 209 between Woolwich Arsenal and King George V. (All Photographs by Gareth Prior, 2nd October 2025)