The Docklands Light Railway is an automated light metro or light rail system opened in 1987 to serve the redeveloped Docklands area of London.[1][2] It reaches north to Stratford, south to Lewisham, west to Tower Gateway and Bank in the City of London financial district, and east to Beckton, London City Airport and Woolwich Arsenal.
This was the first automated regular train service in London. The system is not unmanned, being staffed by Serco employees on behalf of TfL. Strikes by drivers leave operation of the DLR uninterrupted.[3] This has led to proposals to fully automate the tube, which also would increase service capacity.[4]
The DLR is operated under a concession awarded by Transport for London to Serco Docklands Ltd, part of the Serco Group. The system is owned by DLR Limited, part of the London Rail division of Transport for London (TfL). In 2006 the DLR carried over 60 million passengers.[5] It has been extended several times and further extensions are being planned. DLR trains are not compatible with any other rail system.
Tower Gateway station was the DLR's original link to central London.
The docks immediately east of London began to decline in the early 1960s as cargo became containerised.[6] The opening of the Tilbury container docks, further east in Essex, rendered them redundant and in 1980 the British government gained control. The Jubilee line of the London Underground opened in 1979 from Stanmore to Charing Cross as the first stage of an intended cross-town tube line beyond Charing Cross to south-east London.[7] Although land, as at Ludgate Circus and Lewisham, had been reserved for the second stage, the rising cost led to the project's indefinite postponement in the early 1980s.[8]
The London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC), needing to provide public transport cheaply for the former docks area to stimulate regeneration,[9][10] considered several proposals and chose a light rail scheme using dock railway infrastructure to link the West India Docks to Tower Hill and to run alongside the Great Eastern line out of London to a northern terminus at Stratford, where a disused bay platform at the west of the station was available, for interchange with the Central Line and main lines. Stratford was preferred to a Mile End alternative, which would have involved street running trams and was at variance with the concept of a fully automated railway. The growth brought to Docklands enabled the Jubilee Line to be extended in 1999 to east London by a more southerly route than originally proposed, through Surrey Quays/Docks, Canary Wharf and the Greenwich Peninsula (which was the next regeneration area) to Stratford.
The contract for the initial system was awarded to GEC Mowlem in 1984[11] and the system was constructed from 1985 to 1987[12] at a cost of £77 million.[13] The line was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 30 July 1987, and passenger services began on 31 August.[11]
A first generation DLR EMU crosses West India Dock, September 1987.
The initial system comprised two routes, from Tower Gateway and Stratford to Island Gardens. Most of these lines are elevated (either on disused railway viaducts or on new concrete viaducts) with some use of disused surface-level railway rights of way. The trains have always been fully automated and controlled by computer operations and have no driver; a Passenger Service Agent (PSA),[14][15] originally referred to as a "Train Captain", on each train is responsible for patrolling the train, checking tickets, making announcements and controlling the doors. PSAs can take control of the train in circumstances including equipment failure and emergencies.
The system was lightweight, with stations designed for trains of only a single articulated vehicle. The branches totalled 8 miles (13 km),[16] had 15 stations,[11][17] and were connected by a flat triangular junction near Poplar. Services ran Tower Gateway-Island Gardens and Stratford-Island Gardens, so the north side of the junction was used only for access to the depot at Poplar. The stations were mostly of a common design and constructed from standard components. A characteristic was a short half-cylindrical glazed blue canopy to provide shelter. All stations were above ground and were generally unstaffed - stations below ground built for extensions are required by law to be staffed, in case evacuation is needed.
The view from
Tower Gateway looking east prior to rebuilding shows
Fenchurch Street approach tracks to the left, the original DLR line in the centre, and just visible in the distance is a DLR train that has emerged from the tunnel to
Bank to the right.
The initial system had little capacity, but the Docklands area very quickly developed into a major financial centre and employment zone, increasing the demand on the fledgling network. In particular Tower Gateway, at the edge of the City of London, attracted criticism for its poor connections. This is partly because the system experienced higher-than-expected usage.[18] Plans were developed before the system opened to extend to Bank and to Beckton .[19] All stations and trains were extended to two-unit length, and the system was extended into the heart of the City of London to Bank through a tunnel, opening in 1991.[20] This extension diverged from the initial western branch, leaving Tower Gateway on a stub. The original trains, not suitable for use underground, became obsolete (see the Rolling Stock section below, and the main article Docklands Light Railway rolling stock).
As the Canary Wharf office complex grew, Canary Wharf DLR station was redeveloped from a small wayside station to a large one with six platforms serving three tracks and a large overall roof, fully integrated into the malls below the office towers.[21] The original DLR station was not completed and was dismantled before the line opened, although the automatically operated trains continued to stop at its location.
The areas in the east of Docklands needed better transport connections to encourage development and so a fourth branch was opened in 1994,[11] from Poplar to Beckton via Canning Town transport interchange, along the north side of the Royal Docks complex. Initially it was thought likely to be underutilised, due to sparse development.[22] Several proposals were made for the Blackwall area.[23] As part of this extension, one side of the original flat triangular junction was replaced by a grade-separated junction west of Poplar, and a new grade-separated junction was built at the divergence of the Stratford and Beckton lines east of Poplar. Poplar station was rebuilt to give cross-platform interchange between the Stratford and Beckton lines.
DLR platforms at
Greenwich, a northbound train approaching
Early in the DLR operation, Lewisham London Borough Council commissioned a feasibility study into extending the DLR under the River Thames. This led the council to advocate an extension to Greenwich, Deptford and Lewisham. In its early days, the DLR had been criticised by some experts as being "the wrong type of system for Docklands' needs", in comparison with the Underground line proposed in the 1980s.[24] The ambitions of the operators were supported by politicians in Parliament, including Labour Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott,[25] and Lord Whitty,[26] and by 1996 construction work on the line had begun.[21]
On 3 December 1999 the Lewisham extension opened.[27] It left the Island Gardens route south of the Crossharbour turn-back sidings, dropped gently to Mudchute where a street-level station replaced the high-level one on the former London & Blackwall Railway viaduct, and entered a tunnel following the line of the viaduct to a shallow subsurface station at Island Gardens, accessed by stairs. The line crossed under the Thames to Cutty Sark in the centre of Greenwich, and surfaced at the main-line Greenwich station with cross-platform interchange between the northbound DLR track and the city-bound main line. The line snaked on a concrete viaduct to Deptford, Elverson Road station at street level, close to Lewisham town centre and terminated in two platforms between and below the main-line platforms at Lewisham railway station, which is near the shopping centre, with buses stopping outside the station. The Lewisham extension quickly proved profitable.[28]
Route of Woolwich Arsenal extension.
The next series of developments was aided by a five-year programme of investment for public transport across London that was unveiled by Mayor of London Ken Livingstone on 12 October 2004.[29] On 2 December 2005, an eastward branch along the approximate route of the former Eastern Counties and Thames Junction Railway on the southern side of the Royal Docks complex opened from Canning Town to King George V via London City Airport.[30]
A further extension from King George V to Woolwich Arsenal opened on 10 January 2009, with the terminal station close to the planned future stop on the Crossrail line to Abbey Wood via West India and Royal Docks,[31] met by Private Finance Initiative funding.[32] Construction began in June 2005, the same month that the contracts were finalised,[33] and the tunnels were completed on 23 July 2007,[34] and officially opened by Boris Johnson, Mayor of London on 12 January 2009.[35] Following completion, this project was shortlisted for the 2009 Prime Minister's Better Public Building Award.[36]
The original Tower Gateway station was closed in mid-2008 for complete reconstruction. The two terminal tracks either side of a narrow island platform were replaced by a single track between two platforms, one for arriving passengers and the other for departing. The station reopened on 2 March 2009.[37][38]
As part of an upgrade to allow three-car trains, strengthening work was necessary at the Delta Junction north of West India Quay. It was decided to include this in a plan for further grade-separation to eliminate the conflict between services to Stratford and from Bank. A new timetable was been introduced with improved frequencies in peak hours. The new grade-separated route from Bank to Canary Wharf is used only at peak times as it bypasses West India Quay.[39] Work on this project proceeded concurrently with the three-car upgrade work and the 'flyunder', and the improved timetable came into use on 24 August 2009.[40]
In addition to the three-car station extensions, part of which was funded from the 2012 Olympics budget, a further line was opened from Canning Town to Stratford and Stratford International, along the former North London Line of the national rail system, with additional, more closely spaced stations. It parallels the London Underground Jubilee Line for much of its length. As part of the project a substantial multi-level flying junction was built south of Canning Town to enable trains from the Bank/Poplar direction and the Stratford International direction to operate to either of the eastern termini at Beckton and Woolwich Arsenal. There are through trains between all these points, with different patterns at different times of the day. The Stratford International extension suffered some delay in opening, being completed in September 2011. It provides a direct link between two of the major Olympics locations: the main stadium at Stratford and the ExCeL Centre adjacent to Custom House station on the Beckton line.
Shadwell DLR train coming in to the station
The DLR is 19 miles (31 km) long,[41] with 45 stations. There are six branches: to Lewisham in the south, Stratford and Stratford International in the north, Beckton and Woolwich Arsenal in the east, and Central London in the west, splitting to Bank and Tower Gateway.[42] Although the layout allows many different routes, at present the following are operated in normal service:
- Stratford to Lewisham
- Bank to Lewisham
- Bank to Woolwich Arsenal
- Tower Gateway to Beckton
- Stratford International to Woolwich Arsenal (weekday peak hours only)
- Stratford International to Beckton
There is an additional shuttle from Canning Town to Prince Regent when exhibitions are in progress at the ExCeL exhibition centre, to double the normal service. These trains reverse in the eastbound platform at Canning Town and on a crossover at the high point where the line crosses the Connaught Crossing road bridge between Prince Regent and Royal Albert.
At other stations trains reverse direction in the terminal platforms, except at Bank where there is a reversing headshunt beyond the station. Some peak-hour trains on the Lewisham line turn back at Crossharbour. There are also occasional trains from Tower Gateway to Crossharbour and Lewisham. Trains serve every station on the route, except that peak services from Westferry to Canary Wharf do not call at West India Quay because they are routed along a different track to avoid junction conflicts. During long-term works for extension projects, other routes may be operated at weekends, such as Beckton to Lewisham if the Bank branch is closed.
The northern, southern and south-eastern branches terminate at the National Rail (main line) stations at Stratford, Stratford International, Lewisham and Woolwich Arsenal. Other direct interchanges between the DLR and National Rail are at Limehouse, Greenwich and West Ham.
An eastbound train leaving Westferry Station.
Most DLR stations are elevated, with others at street level, in a cutting or underground. Access to the platforms is mostly by staircase and lift, although there are escalators at some stations. From the outset the network has been fully accessible to wheelchairs; much attention was paid to quick and effective accessibility for all passengers.[41] The stations have high platforms matching the floor height of the cars, allowing easy access for passengers with wheelchairs or pushchairs.
Most stations are of a modular design dating back to the initial system, extended and improved. This design has two side platforms, each with separate access from the street, and platform canopies with a distinctive rounded roof design. Stations are unstaffed, except the underground stations at Bank, Island Gardens, Cutty Sark and Woolwich Arsenal for safety reasons, a few of the busier interchange stations, and City Airport, which has a ticket office for passengers unfamiliar with the system. Canning Town, Custom House and Prince Regent are normally staffed on the platform whenever there is a significant exhibition at the ExCeL exhibition centre.
On 3 July 2007, DLR officially launched[43] an art programme called DLR Art,[44] similar to that on the London Underground, Art on the Underground. Alan Williams was appointed to produce the first temporary commission, called "Sidetrack", which portrays the ordinary and extraordinary sights, often unfamiliar to passengers, on the system and was displayed throughout the network.[45]
A train awaits departure from Woolwich Arsenal.
Ticketing is part of the London fare zone system, and Travelcards that cover the correct zones are valid. There are one-day and season DLR-only "Rover" tickets available, plus a one-day DLR "Rail and River Rover" ticket for the DLR and City Cruises river boats. Oyster pay as you go is also available;[46] passengers need to both touch in and touch out on the platform readers or pass through the automatic gates. Tickets must be purchased from ticket machines at the entrance to the platforms, and are required before the entering the platform. There are no ticket barriers at DLR-only stations,[47] and correct ticketing is enforced by on-train checks by the PSA. There are barriers at Bank, Canning Town, Woolwich Arsenal and Stratford, where the DLR platforms are within the barrier lines of a London Underground or National Rail station.
The DLR is used by up to 100,000 people every day. Within a year of launch, annual passenger numbers were 17 million.[48] By 2009 this had increased to 64 million.[5][48] While the first five years were plagued by unreliability and operational problems,[49] the system has now become highly reliable.[49] In 2008, 87% of the population of North Woolwich were in favour of the DLR.[50]
The Parliamentary Transport Select Committee has reviewed light rail.[51] Due to the success of the DLR, proposals for similar systems elsewhere have emerged. The North and West London Light Railway is one such plan, for an orbital railway serving the other side of London.[52]
The DLR has been successful, as have other light rail systems built in recent years.[53] However, the DLR has been criticised for having been designed with insufficient capacity to meet the demand that quickly arose.[24] The level of demand was underestimated.[18][21] In 1989 such criticism was aimed at GEC, a major contractor for the DLR construction.[54]
Although DLR claims to be highly accessible,[41] the only bicycles allowed on its trains are folding ones. One incident involved a station manager refusing to allow a train to leave before several triathlon competitors left the vehicle. DLR says this is because if evacuation of a train is required, they would slow down the process. DLR cars are not designed with bicycles in mind – if they were allowed, they might obstruct doors and emergency exits.[55]
The DLR is operated by high-floor bi-directional single-articulated electric multiple units. Each car has four doors on each side, and two or three cars make up a train.[56] There are no driver's cabs because normal operations are automated. Cars have a small driver's console concealed behind a locked panel at each car end, from which the PSA (Passenger Service Agent) can drive the car.[57] Consoles at each door opening allow the PSA to control door closure and make announcements whilst patrolling the train. Because of the absence of a driver's position, the fully glazed car ends provide an forward (or rear) view for passengers. The top speed is 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph).
Despite having high floors and being highly automated, the cars are derived from a German light-rail design intended for street running. All the cars look similar but there have been several different types, some still in service, others sold to other operators. New B2007 units were purchased from Bombardier in 2005 and delivered between 2007 and 2010.[58]
There are two operating and maintenance depots. The first is at Poplar, but it is now secondary to the larger site at Beckton, built on the site of the Beckton Gas Works in 1996. Rolling stock is kept at both locations, which have maintenance workshops and extensive open-air carriage sidings. The Poplar depot, which is also the operating headquarters of DLR Limited and Serco Docklands, houses diesel locomotives used for track maintenance. Poplar depot is alongside the north side of the Stratford line east of the station, and Beckton depot is to the east of the line on a long spur north-east of Gallions Reach station.
Originally the DLR used signalling based on a fixed-block technology developed by GEC-General Signal and General Railway Signal.[12] This was replaced in 1994 with a moving-block TBTC (Transmission Based Train Control) system developed by Alcatel, called SelTrac. The SelTrac system was bought by Thales in 2007 and current updates are being provided by Thales Rail Signalling Solutions. The same technology is used for other rapid transit systems including Vancouver's SkyTrain, Toronto's SRT, San Francisco's Municipal Railway (MUNI) and Hong Kong's MTR. The SelTrac S40 system is currently being adopted by the Jubilee line and Northern line on London Underground. Transmissions occur via an inductive loop cable between each train's Vehicle On-Board Controller (VOBC) and the control centre (VCC, SMC) at Poplar. If this link is broken and communication is lost between the VOBC and VCC, SMC, the train stops until it is authorised to move again. If the whole system fails the train can run in restricted manual at 12 miles per hour (19 km/h) for safety until the system is restored and communication is re-established. Emergency brakes can be applied if the train breaks the speed limit during manual control or overshoots a fixed stopping point, or if the train leaves the station when the route has not been set.[16]
SelTrac: Standard Elektrik Lorenz Transport Control System VOBC: Vehicle On-Board Controller SMC: System Management Center VCC: Vehicle Control Center
With the development of the eastern Docklands as part of the Thames Gateway initiative and London’s successful bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics, several extensions and enhancements are under construction, being planned or being discussed.[59]
- Status – Complete
The capacity of the system has been increased by upgrading it to take three-car trains. The alternative of more frequent trains was rejected as the signalling changes needed would have cost no less than upgrading to longer trains and with fewer benefits.[60] The railway was built for single-car operation, and the upgrade required both strengthening viaducts to take heavier trains and lengthening many platforms;[61] but recent extensions were built to take three-car trains. It has been suggested that the extra capacity will be useful during the 2012 Summer Olympics, which are expected to increase the use of London's transport network.[62] The main contractor for the expansion and alteration works is Taylor Woodrow.[63]
Elverson Road, Pudding Mill Lane (one platform Stratford-bound), Royal Albert, Gallions Reach and Cutty Sark have not been extended for three-car trains; such extension may be impossible in some cases. Selective door operation is used, with emergency walkways in case a door fails to remain shut. For instance Cutty Sark station is underground, and both costs and the risk to nearby historic buildings prevent platform extension. The tunnel there was built with an emergency walkway throughout its length. Additional work beyond that needed to take the three-car trains has been carried out at some stations. This included replacing canopies with more substantial ones along the full platform length. A new South Quay station has been built 200 metres (660 ft) east of the former location as nearby curves precluded lengthening. Mudchute now has a third platform and all its platforms have full-length canopies.[64] Tower Gateway was closed until March 2009 and re-opened as a single-track three-car terminus with two platforms, one for boarding and the other for alighting.
For this upgrade DLR purchased an additional 31 cars compatible with existing rolling stock.[65] The works were originally planned as three separate phases: Bank-Lewisham, Poplar-Stratford, and finally the Beckton branch. The original £200m works contract was awarded on 3 May 2007.[66] Work started in 2007 and the Bank-Lewisham phase was originally due to be completed in 2009. However, the work programme for the first two phases was merged and the infrastructure work was completed by the end of January 2010. The Lewisham-Bank route now runs three-car trains exclusively on Mondays-Fridays. They started running on the Beckton branch on 9 May 2011.[67] Other routes will run the longer trains when demand builds up to require it.
- Status – Complete
The extension to Stratford International station, taking over the North London Line from Canning Town to Stratford, links the Docklands area with domestic high-speed services on High Speed 1. It is an important part of transport improvements for the 2012 Olympic Games, much of which will be held on a site adjoining Stratford International.[68] The first contract for construction work was awarded on 10 January 2007[69] and construction work started in mid 2007. Originally scheduled to open in mid 2010,[70] the line opened to public service on 31 August 2011.[71]
Station names in bold are former North London Line stations.
New stations for DLR are:
From Canning Town to Stratford low level the Stratford International extension runs parallel to the London Underground Jubilee line. As well as providing an interchange with the adjacent Jubilee line stations, there are additional DLR-only stations at Star Lane, Abbey Road and Stratford High Street.
At Stratford new platforms have been built for the North London Line at a new location at the northern end of the station. The old platforms (formerly 1 and 2) adjacent to the Jubilee line have been rebuilt for the DLR and are renumbered 16 (towards Stratford International) and 17 (towards Beckton/Woolwich Arsenal). Interchange between the Stratford International branch and DLR trains via Poplar will be possible although their platforms are widely separated and at different levels. There is no physical connection between the two branches. As part of the Transport & Works Act (TWA) application, Royal Victoria station on the Beckton branch has been be extended to accommodate three-car trains, with a siding to enable trains to reverse there, using land released by the closure of this section of the parallel North London Line. A partly grade-separated junction has been built south of Canning Town to prevent conflicting movements between the existing Bank branch and the Stratford International branch going to and from the Beckton and Woolwich Arsenal branches.
- Status – Under Construction
When Crossrail is built, one of its tunnel portals will be on the current site of Pudding Mill Lane station. As a consequence, work has begun to divert the DLR between City Mill River and the River Lea on to a new viaduct to be built further south. This will include a replacement station.[72] The current station stands on the only significant section of single track on the system, between Bow Church and Stratford;[73] the opportunity may be taken to double the track here to improve capacity, although there is no provision for works beyond the realigned section in the Crossrail Act.
- Status – Not currently being developed
This proposed extension from Gallions Reach to Dagenham Dock via the riverside at Barking would connect the Barking Reach area, a formerly industrial area now due to be a major redevelopment as part of the London Riverside, with the Docklands.[74] It would cover major developments at Creekmouth, Barking Riverside, Dagenham Dock Opportunity Area, and five stations are planned, at Beckton Riverside station, Creekmouth, Barking Riverside, Goresbrook (formerly Dagenham Vale) and Dagenham Dock. The extension is key if English Partnerships' plan is to work. As shown in DLR's first consultation leaflet,[75] there are proposals for the DLR to extend further than Dagenham Dock, possibly to Dagenham Heathway or Rainham, or even to the other side of the Thames again, including one or two entirely new stations at Thamesmead, which the area desperately needs, and then onto Abbey Wood, for North Kent Line services to Dartford and The Medway Towns, as well as, for future Crossrail connections.[76]
Construction was not expected to start until 2013, and the earliest expected completion date was 2017.[77] However, the financial downturn meant that TfL requested a delay to the public enquiry while funding was clarified.[78] Given that the purpose of the extension was to serve as-yet unbuilt homes, it became very difficult to predict timescales for this project. The project has been reported to have been cancelled by the Mayor of London Boris Johnson as a cost-cutting measure,[79][80] although there have been calls for this to be reconsidered,[81][82] the extension being regarded by Barking and Dagenham council as essential to regenerating the area.[83]
In October 2009, the plan had seemed to be once again under consideration. The Mayor's Transport Strategy stated that the Mayor, through Transport for London, would investigate the feasibility of the extension to Dagenham Dock as part of the housing proposals for Barking Riverside.[84]
- Status – On hold
This station had been included as potential future development on the London City Airport extension since it was first planned.[85] It would be between Canning Town and West Silvertown, due west of the western end of Royal Victoria Dock. Since the station's intended purpose is to serve the surrounding area (currently a mix of brownfield and run-down industrial sites) when it is regenerated, the development is indefinitely on hold due to the area being safeguarded for the Silvertown Link,[86] a new Thames river crossing that has been proposed but currently has no timetable for implementation.
- Status – Proposed
A site near to London City Airport has been identified as a possible additional station on the London City Airport branch. The Connaught Tunnel is here, and will be used again when some of the former Custom House to North Woolwich section of the Eastern Counties and Thames Junction Railway is taken over by Crossrail.[87] However, no plans have emerged as to if or when a station might be built here, even though the original extension was designed to allow this. It may be located south of the Connaught Crossing.[88]
Docklands Light Railway flag box
- Status – Proposed – 2006
In February 2006 a proposal to extend the DLR to Charing Cross station from Bank DLR branch was revealed.[73] The idea, originating from a DLR "Horizon Study", is at a very early stage at the moment, but would involve extending the line from Bank in bored tunnels under Central London to the Charing Cross Jubilee Line platforms, which would be brought back to public use. These platforms are now on a spur off the current Jubilee line and are not used by passenger trains. It has since been revealed that a proposed route as far as Victoria station will be investigated.[89]
While not confirmed, it is probable that the scheme would also use the existing overrun tunnels between the Charing Cross Jubilee platforms and a location slightly to the west of Aldwych. These tunnels were intended to be incorporated into the abandoned Phase 2 of the Fleet Line (Phase 1 became the original Jubilee Line, prior to the Jubilee Line Extension).[90] However they would need some enlargement because DLR gauge is larger than tube gauge and current safety regulations would require an emergency walkway to be provided in the tunnel.
Two reasons driving the proposal are capacity problems at Bank, having basically one interchange between the DLR and the central portion of Underground, and the difficult journeys faced by passengers from Kent and South Coast between their rail termini and the DLR. Intermediate stations would be at Ludgate Circus and Aldwych, which was intended for future connection with the proposed but now abandoned Cross River Tram.
- Status – Proposed
During the last Horizon study, a possible extension was considered from Bank towards Euston or London King's Cross.[91] The main benefit of such an extension would be to broaden the available direct transport links to the Canary Wharf site. It would create a new artery in central London and help relieve the Northern and Circle lines. There are no official plans for possible stations except towards Farringdon, possibly using some of the disused Thameslink infrastructure.[citation needed]
- Status – Proposed – 2006
This possible extension was considered during the latest Horizon Study. The route would follow the Southeastern line and terminate between Catford and Catford Bridge stations. It has been seen as attractive to the district, as has the current terminus at Lewisham, built in an earlier extension.[92][93] However, early plans showed problems due to Lewisham DLR station being only marginally lower than the busy A20 road which impedes any proposed extension. The plan is however being revised.[94] When the Lewisham extension was first completed there were proposals to continue further to Beckenham to link it up with the Tramlink system. However, the way in which Lewisham DLR was built impedes this possible extension and it would prove costly to redevelop.[citation needed]
The original Island Gardens DLR station at the end of a viaduct
On 10 March 1987, before the railway opened, a test train crashed through station buffer stops at the original high-level terminus Island Gardens station and was left hanging from the end of the elevated track. The accident was caused by unauthorised tests being run before accident-preventing modifications had been installed. The train was being driven manually at the time.[95][96][97]
On 22 April 1991, two trains collided at a junction on the West India Quay bridge during morning rush hour, requiring a shutdown of the entire system and evacuation of passengers by ladder.[98][99] One of the two trains was travelling automatically, operating without a driver, while the other was under manual control.[100]
On 9 February 1996, the Provisional Irish Republican Army blew up a lorry under a bridge near South Quay,[101] killing two people and injuring many others. This number would have been higher had there not been an advance warning.[102] The blast caused £85 million of damage and marked an end to the IRA ceasefire. Significant disruption was caused and a train was stranded at Island Gardens, unable to move until the track was rebuilt.
The DLR is owned by DLR Limited (DLRL), part of the London Rail division of TfL, which also manages London Overground, London Tramlink and Crossrail. DLRL first awarded the concession to operate the railway in 1997 to Serco Docklands Ltd, a joint organisation of the former DLR management team and Serco Group. Serco bought out the former DLR management shares and has won all subsequent contracts, the latest being a seven-year contract awarded in May 2006. Three recent extensions - Lewisham, City Airport and Woolwich Arsenal - have been designed, financed, built and now maintained by private companies: City Greenwich Lewisham (CGL) Rail, City Airport Rail Enterprises (CARE) and Woolwich Arsenal Rail Enterprises (WARE).[103]
Prior to 1997, the DLR was a wholly owned subsidiary of London Regional Transport. In 1992 it was transferred to the London Docklands Development Corporation, sponsored by the Department of Environment. In 1994 it was announced that the DLR would be privatised, which led to the concession being granted to Serco in 1997.[103]
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- ^ "Horses for Courses: The Advantages of Light Rail". Commons Transport Select Committee. UK Parliament. 3 April 2005. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmselect/cmtran/378/37805.htm.
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- ^ "Light Rail – the Solution to Inner-City Chaos?". Railway Technology. 22 May 2008. http://www.railway-technology.com/features/feature1953/. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
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- ^ "DLR bans Triathlon cyclists". London Evening Standard. 8 June 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20110606081807/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/events/article-23407230-last-one-in-the-water-is-toast.do. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
- ^ DLR Key Facts. railway-technology.com
- ^ "Unmanned Train: DLR Respond". The Londonist (blog). 2 November 2007. http://londonist.com/2007/11/unmanned_train.php. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
- ^ "Bombardier receives a $94 million US order from Docklands Light Railway for automatic Light Rail cars to be used in London, UK" (Press release). Montreal: Bombardier. 4 May 2005. http://bombardier.com/en/corporate/media-centre/press-releases/details?docID=0901260d8000fc2d. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
- ^ "Docklands Light Railway – Development Projects". Transport for London. http://developments.dlr.co.uk/index.asp. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
- ^ "Docklands Light Railway – Three-carriage Capacity Enhancement Project". Transport for London. http://developments.dlr.co.uk/enhancements/capacity/index.asp. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
- ^ "Longer trains for Docklands Line". BBC News. 31 July 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6924214.stm. Retrieved 24 June 2009.
- ^ "Docklands Light Railway (DLR) 3 Car Enhancements Project". Arup. http://www.arup.com/rail/project.cfm?pageid=11148. Retrieved 24 June 2009.
- ^ "Taylor Woodrow wins £200m Docklands Light Railway project". Contract Journal. 3 May 2007. http://www.contractjournal.com/Articles/2007/05/03/54774/taylor-woodrow-wins-200m-docklands-light-railway-project.html. Retrieved 24 June 2009.
- ^ "Mudchute third platform". London Connections. 11 April 2008. http://londonconnections.blogspot.com/2008/04/mudchute-third-platform.html. Retrieved 29 June 2008.
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- ^ "£20m bullet trains to serve Olympic Park" (Press release). London2012.org. 28 September 2004. http://www.london2012.org/news/archive/bid-phase/20m-bullet-trains-to-serve-olympic-park.php. Retrieved 6 July 2005.
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- ^ a b Abbott, James (March 2006). "DLR aims for Charing Cross". Modern Railways (London): p. 54.
- ^ Docklands Light Railway – Dagenham Dock: Key Project Milestones Transport for London
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- ^ DLR Dagenham Dock extension preferred alignment. Transport for London. February 2008.
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- ^ Tumposky, Ellen; Gentile, Don (10 February 1996). "Blast shatters London, Adams Presumes IRA's Responsible". New York Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/1996/02/10/1996-02-10_blast_shatters_london__adams.html. Retrieved 12 November 2008.
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- ^ a b "DLR management". Transport for London. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/modesoftransport/dlr/1532.aspx. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
- Jolly, Stephen; Bayman, Bob (November 1986). Docklands Light Railway Official Handbook. Harrow Weald: Capital Transport Publishing. ISBN 0-904711-80-3.
- Gonsalves, B.F.; R.W. Deacon, D. Pilgrim, B.P. Pritchard (1991). Docklands Light Railway and Subsequent Upgrading. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers.
This audio file was created from a revision of the "
Docklands Light Railway" article dated 24 February 2007, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. (
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