MAYOR of London Sadiq Khan visited the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) depot at Beckton on February 8, for the unveiling of the first of 54 new trains which are due to enter service on the system from next year.
Spanish manufacturer CAF was awarded the contract in 2019 to supply 43 of the new five-car sets, which was subsequently increased to 54 sets. These 11 additional trains are being financed by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, following a successful bid by Transport for London for support from the Housing Infrastructure Fund.
The new units will replace the DLR’s B90/92 stock and increase capacity as part of plans to support jobs and housing growth in the areas served by the system. Their interior features include air conditioning, mobile device charging points and real-time audio and visual travel information. In addition to three dedicated wheelchair spaces, there will be three multi-use areas which can also accommodate pushchairs, bicycles and luggage.
Testing will initially take place overnight and during some planned closures on the network, although in later phases, the trains will run during the day, pathed in gaps between normal services.