London’s traditional docks were in virtually terminal decline from the early 1960s – the consequence of both the trend to containerisation also the increasing size of vessels – with the result that a vast swathe of east London along the River Thames was danger of becoming economically moribund. One fact in the inability of the area to attract new investment was the paucity of its transport connections and it was to ameliorate this that the development of the Dockland Light Railway took place.
Recognising the need for regeneration, the Conservative government of the time established the London Dockland Development Corporation in July 1981 and it commissioned London Transport to evaluate a range of transport options. Mowlem started construction work started on the DLR in 1984 and the new £77 million system was officially opened by the queen on 30 July 1987; public services commenced a month later
The original western terminus for the Docklands Light Railway was Tower Gardens, adjacent to the ex-London, Tilbury & South Railway line into Fenchurch Street. On 3 June 1988, one of the original ‘P86’ units is seen approaching the terminus. Les Folkard/Online Transport Archive
The extension from Poplar to Beckton opened on 28 March 1994 and, less than a month after the opening – on 26 April – two of the new ‘B92’ units – Nos 65 and 52 – are pictured at the newly-opened terminus. Les Folkard/Online Transport Archive
The initial system comprised two routes – from Island Gardens to either Stratford or Tower Gateway operated by eleven automated cars based at a new depot at Poplar. The initial system provided only a limited capacity but, as the regeneration developed, this was to prove inadequate. Even before the 1989 opening, there were plans to extend to Bank and to Beckton; these were to open on 29 July 1991 and 28 March 1994 respectively. The Beckton extension required the modification of the original triangular junction at Poplar. A second depot, to accommodate part of the enlarged fleet, was also constructed at Beckton
The driver’s desk on No 119: the cover, seen here in the open position, allows the on-train staff to drive manually as necessary. This includes all movements within Beckton depot. John Glover
The next phase in the DLR’s development took it south of the Thames; work started on the Lewisham extension in 1996 and the line opened throughout on 3 December 1999. One consequence of the Lewisham extension was that services were diverted away from the original alignment south of Crossharbour, with the result that the section to the first station at Island Gardens was closed at the same time.
In October 2004, the then mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, announced a programme of investment in public transport; amongst these schemes was a further extension to the DLR. This was the line from Canning Town via London City Airport to King George V; this was opened on 2 December 2005 and there were already plans to extend the route further east to Woolwich Arsenal. This line was opened by Boris Johnson, the next mayor of London, on 12 January 2009.
By this date, London had been awarded the honour of hosting the 2012 Olympic Games; the centrepiece of the games was to be a new stadium in Stratford and improved public transport was central to making the games a success. In order to improve capacity, programme of extending station platforms to accommodate three-car sets was undertaken and the original Tower Gateway station was closed between 30 June 2008 and 2 March 2009 to permit its reconfiguration. The junction at Poplar was again improved but the most significant investment went into the extension of the DLR itself from Canning Town, using the ex-BR route to Stratford Lower, to the new Stratford International station on the high-speed line from St Pancras International to the Channel Tunnel. This opened, after some delays, on 31 August 2011.
The DLR now extends over a route network of some twenty-four route miles and 149 units serve a total of fortyfive stations. There have been, over the years, proposals for further extensions but nothing is currently under detailed development.
The street entrance to the wonders of the DLR’s Stratford International station pictured on 24 September 2012. John Glover
DEPOTS
There are two depots that serve the DLR. The first was Poplar, which opened officially with the system on 31 August 1987, and the second was at Beckton, opened with the extension there on 28 March 1994. The cars that were primarily maintained at Poplar were prefixed ‘P’ in their designation and those at Beckton ‘B’. With the demise of the ‘P86’ and ‘P89’ stock, all major maintenance work is now carried out at Beckton but Poplar remains open for operational purposes.
OPENING DATES
| Tower Gateway-Stratford/ Island Gardens | 31 August 1987 |
| Tower Gateway-Bank | 29 July 1991 |
| Poplar-Beckton | 28 March 1994 |
| Crossharbour-Lewisham | 3 December 1999 |
| Canning Town-King George V | 2 December 2005 |
| King George V Woolwich Arsenal | 12 January 2009 |
| Canning Town-Stratford International | 31 August 2011 |
CLOSURES
| Crossharbour-Island Gardens | 11 January 1999 |
FLEET
01-11
The DLR was launched with a fleet of eleven unmanned single-deck articulated vehicles supplied by the German-based manufacturer Linke-Hoffman- Busch. Designated ‘P86’, each car could accommodate 84 seated passengers, and the last was delivered in March 1987. Destined for a short operational life on the DLR, partly as a result of their unsuitability for use on the underground extension to Bank, all were taken out of service in 1991 and sold to Essen in Germany, where they remain in operation.
One of the original DLR ‘P86’ units – No 07 – is pictured on 3 June 1988 near West Ferry. Les Folkard/Online Transport Archive
12-21
With the original eleven cars being unsuitable for operation over the tunnel section to Bank, a further ten cars, designated ‘P89’, were supplied by BREL York in 1989. Outwardly similar to the ‘P86’ stock, these ten units were equipped with improved fire-proofing for operation to Bank. The passenger doors were slightly modified in 1994 but the final operation of ‘P89’ stock occurred in 1995 and, like the ‘P86’, all were sold for further service to Essen where, at the time of writing, they remain operational.
22-44
The success of the DLR and the growth of the system rendered the original ‘P86’ and later ‘P89’ stock obsolete and, in 1991, Bombardier supplied twenty-three ‘B90’ units. These, and the later ‘B92’ and ‘B2K’ units, were all manufactured at the company’s factory at Brugge in Belgium. All remain in service at the time of writing. In 2017, it was announced that Transport for London was looking to purchase a new fleet of forty-three 87m long units. These are designed to replace the ‘B90’ and subsequent ‘B92’ units as well as to provide additional capacity. These units are scheduled for delivery between 2022 and 2024 and their arrival will necessitate the expansion of the depot at Beckton.
Two of the second batch of DLR vehicles – ‘P89s’ Nos 15 and 13 – are seen approaching Poplar station on 26 April 1994. By this date, the type was approaching the end of its life in London; all were withdrawn the following year. Les Folkard/Online Transport Archive
45-91
Between 1993 and 1995, Bombardier supplied a further forty-seven units; designated ‘B92’, these remain in service on the DLR at present but are scheduled to be replaced by the end of 2024.
West India Quay on 11 July 1994 with DLR No 23 leading; Canary Wharf station is in the background. John Glover
On 31 May 1997 ‘B92’ unit No 72 is seen approaching the original terminus at Island Gardens. The reused railway viaduct, over which the DLR gained access to the terminus, is visible stretching northwards. The line to Island gardens closed on 11 January 1999. Philip Hanson/Online Transport Archive
92-99, 01-16
The final batch of Belgian-built trams, designated B2K, were delivered during 2001 and 2002. The decision to reuse the fleet numbers 01-16 was forced upon the operator because its original computer system could only handle two-digit fleet numbers; it has subsequently been upgraded. The major difference between these and the earlier ‘B90’ and ‘B92’ units was that the ‘B2K’ stock was delivered after the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act of 1995; the earlier units have been modified to cater for that legislation.
One of the last Belgian-built units – No 11 – leaves Stratford High Street with a service to Beckton on 24 March 2014. John Glover
101-55
In order to operate the new extension to Lewisham, it was announced in May 2005 that Bombardier was to supply a further twenty-four vehicles; designated ‘B2007’, the first of the new type was delivered on 22 December 2007. The first of the type to enter service, Nos 105/06, did so in September 2008 and all had entered service by the end of July 2009. With the award on 6 July 2005 of the 2012 Olympics to London, a further thirty-one cars of the type were ordered in June 2006; these ‘B2009’ units were partly funded by the Olympic Delivery Authority and were all delivered by the end of June 2010. The ‘B2007’ and ‘B2009’ stock, which were all manufactured at the Bombardier factory at Bautzen in Germany, were the first operate in three-car sets, from early 2010, and all remain in service.
Abbey Road station, the name of which seems to confuse some of those arriving there, on 24 March 2014 with No 140 arriving en route to Canning Town and Woolwich Arsenal. John Glover