Transport for London are anticipating that the new trains for the DLR will be reintroduced into service by the summer, after strong progress has been made in investigation, testing and assurance work. The CAF built trains were all withdrawn from service in late 2025 after a single occurrence of one of those in service stopping past its intended stopping point, and since then investigations have taken place to find the cause and a solution.
The first of the new trains – which are the first fully walkthrough trains to be used on the DLR network – entered service on 30th September 2025 and by the time of their withdrawal three of the eventual 54 strong fleet had carried passengers. On the whole they had been performing as expected but following the case of the overrun, TfL decided to withdraw them all in the interests of safety.
To support the reintroduction of the trains, engineers are introducing a focused package of improvements to the units. This will include braking software upgrades to improve performance in the type of specific low rail adhesion conditions experienced during the incident. These are now being tested on CAF’s test track before further testing on the DLR network. This testing will require some network closures over the next few months.
Stuart Harvey, TfL’s Chief Capital Officer, said: “We know customers are looking forward to travelling on these new trains, and we will provide a further update in the spring, with the trains being reintroduced by summer. Our engineers, together with CAF and our franchisee KeolisAmey Docklands, have worked tirelessly to ensure they return safely and reliably. We are confident customers will welcome the extra space, improved accessibility, real‑time travel information and air‑conditioning these trains provide.”
It is planned that there will now be phased reintroduction of the trains by late summer.
As a result of the withdrawal of the new trains, and the continued withdrawal of the older units as they start to require further maintenance, there has been a reduction in services operate on the DLR. This has included fewer trains running as well as reduced formations. It would appear with a late summer reintroduction these changes will remain in place for a few months yet.