The first of a planned 54 new walk-through trains for the Docklands Light Railway has been delivered to Beckton Depot and has already been treated to a visit for Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. The train has been built by CAF and carries the number 201 (confirming the numbering sequence) and will start overnight testing in the coming months ahead of an entry into service, probably in 2024.
The state of the art trains are a first for the DLR as they are completely walk through which will avoid the need for different units to be coupled together in order to increase capacity. They feature the latest audio and visual real time travel information, air conditioning and mobile device charging points.
33 of the new trains will replace the existing B90, B92 and B2K fleet of trains (the never B2007 class will remain in service), with 21 due to add capacity across the network. 11 of these extra trains have been funded by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities – these will be used to further increase capacity supporting the development of thousands of new homes around the network, particularly in the Royal Docks.
Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, said: “I am delighted to be here at Beckton depot today to see the first of our brand new DLR trains that will provide Londoners with more frequent, reliable and comfortable journeys from 2024. The DLR is a vital transport option for parts of our city, contributing to making the capital a more accessible place to live, work and visit as well as supporting new jobs and homes. With over 90 million journeys made each year it is currently the busiest light railway in the UK and its modernisation forms a key part of my vision to make London a greener, fairer and more prosperous city for all.”
The trains are due to go through a rigorous testing process to make sure that they enter service smoothly and reliably without impacting current services. Testing will start overnight and during planned engineering closures but later in 2023 they will be seen out in normal operating hours in gaps between regular services.
Richard Graham, Managing Director of KeolisAmey Docklands, said: “KeolisAmey Docklands are pleased to be working with TfL to commence the testing the new trains on the DLR network. These trains will provide improvements to customers’ journeys and deliver great benefits for our communities in east London. We look forward to bringing the first of these new DLR trains into service in 2024.”
On-board capacity will be increased by 10% on each train (helped by the fact that cabs will only be needed at each end of the walk-through trains rather than at each end of the shorter current fleet). There will be better facilities for those with mobility impairments with three multi-use areas in addition to three dedicated wheelchair spaces. These areas can be used to accommodate pushchairs, bicycles and luggage.
Richard Garner, CAF UK Director, said: “CAF is proud to be supporting the modernisation of the DLR as part of the Mayor of London’s Transport Strategy. Our new driverless trains have an interior which brings a modern, spacious feel, allowing passengers to see and walk the full length of the train. The additional capacity will enhance the overall comfort and journey experience.”
The trains will feature a new DLR livery of light blue and white and the on-board moquette will be of a new design called Poplar.
CAF were awarded the contract to build these trains in 2019 after an extensive procurement exercise. There may be eyebrows raised that CAF will be supplying the trains considering the issues seen with the Urbos3 trams on the West Midlands Metro but decisions for the order were made well before that was seen as an issue.
The whole fleet of 54 trains is expected to enter service by 2026 so there remains some time if you want to experience the older DLR trains.