Docklands Light Railway

Docklands Light Railway
Docklands Light Railway
	A DLR train at Canary Wharf station
Overview
Owner	Docklands Light Railway Ltd, part of Transport for London
Area served	London
Locale	Greater London
Transit type	Light metro
Number of lines	7
Number of stations	45
Daily ridership	340,000 (daily average, DfT 2017)
Annual ridership	92.3 million (2022/23); 19.6%
Headquarters	Endeavour Square, E20
Website	tfl.gov.uk/modes/dlr/
Operation
Began operation	31 August 1987
Operator(s)	KeolisAmey Docklands Limited (Keolis 70%, Amey 30%)
Number of vehicles	149
Train length	2 or 3 vehicles per trainset
Headway	3–5 minutes
Technical
System length	38 km (24 mi)
No. of tracks	2
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Minimum radius of curvature	125 ft (38 m)
Electrification	Third rail, 750 V DC
Top speed	50 mph (80 km/h)(Maximum Speed Capable); 40 mph (64 km/h) (Regular Operational Speed);
Transport for London rail lines
London Underground
	Bakerloo
	Central
	Circle
	District
	Hammersmith & City
	Jubilee
	Metropolitan
	Northern
	Piccadilly
	Victoria
	Waterloo & City
London Overground
	Liberty
	Lioness
	Mildmay
	Suffragette
	Weaver
	Windrush
Other TfL Modes
	DLR
	Elizabeth line
	London Trams
	v; t; e;

All stations have step-free access from street to train.

Legend

Stratford International

Stratford

Monument

Stratford High Street

Bank

Waterworks River

Tower Gateway

City Mill River

Royal Mint Street Junction

Pudding Mill Lane

re-sited

Shadwell

Poplar depot

Abbey Road

Poplar

West Ham

Star Lane

West India Quay

no trains from Bank

West India North Dock

Blackwall

Canary Wharf

East India

West India Middle Dock

River Lea

Heron Quays

Canning Town

West India South Dock

re-sited

South Quay

proposed

re-sited

Silvertown

proposed

Millwall Park viaduct

re-sited

Cutty Sark for Maritime Greenwich

Woolwich Arsenal

Greenwich

Deptford Creek

four crossings

Royal Victoria

Deptford Bridge

Custom House for ExCeL

Beckton

The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is an automated light metro system primarily serving the redeveloped Docklands area of London and providing a direct connection between London's two major financial districts, Canary Wharf and the City of London. First opened on 31 August 1987, the DLR has been extended multiple times, giving a total route length of 38 km (24 miles). Lines now reach 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. An extension to Thamesmead is currently being proposed.

Normal operations are automated, so there is minimal staffing on the 149 trains (which have no driving cabs) and at major interchange stations; the four below-ground stations are staffed, to comply with health and safety regulations for underground stations.

The DLR is currently operated by franchisee KeolisAmey Docklands for Transport for London (TfL). Passenger numbers have increased as the network has expanded since its launch. In the financial year 2022/23, there were 92.3 million passenger journeys.

^ "Light rail and tram statistics, England: year ending March 2023". GOV.UK. Department for Transport. 5 September 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
^ "DOCKLANDS LIGHT RAILWAY LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK".
^ Cite error: The named reference open was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Route kilometres open for passenger traffic on light rail and trams and undergrounds by system: Great Britain - annual from 1995/96". UK Government Department for Transport. Archived from the original on 20 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
^ "TfL transparency". Department for Transport. Retrieved 30 November 2018.

[dft22-1] "Light rail and tram statistics, England: year ending March 2023". GOV.UK. Department for Transport. 5 September 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2023.

[2] "DOCKLANDS LIGHT RAILWAY LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK".

[open-3] Cite error: The named reference open was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[dftrklr-4] "Route kilometres open for passenger traffic on light rail and trams and undergrounds by system: Great Britain - annual from 1995/96". UK Government Department for Transport. Archived from the original on 20 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.

[TfL-5] "TfL transparency". Department for Transport. Retrieved 30 November 2018.

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