TfL orders 11 additional trains for DLR

TfL has ordered an addition 11 new DLR trains for delivery by 2026

Friday 30 Jun 2023

Transport for London (TfL) has exercioed it option to buy 11 additional DLR trains, funded by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), bringing the total to be introduced from 2024 to 54.

Funded by the Government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund, which was originally agreed in 2019, the additional trains will be used to increase capacity and help unlock 10,000 new homes across the network, particularly in the Royal Docks and on the Isle of Dogs.

The new trains are being designed and built by Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, S.A (CAF).

TfL awarded a contract in 2019 to Spanish manufacturer Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) for 43 trains. This new option brings that total to 54.

The first two new DLR trains, which feature a walk-through design, latest audio and visual real time travel information, air conditioning and mobile device charge points, have been delivered. They are going through extensive testing during overnight engineering hours and some planned closures, but later this year customers will see test trains running during the day in gaps between normal services. The new trains will be easy to spot as they feature a specially designed train wrap to help prevent confusion should a test train need to stop at station.

All 54 new trains will be introduced by the end of 2026 and will help boost overall capacity on the network by more than 60 per cent.

Seb Dance,
London Deputy Mayor for Transport.

Seb Dance, Deputy Mayor for Transport, said: “More than 90 million journeys made each year the DLR is the busiest light railway in the UK and these new DLR trains will provide Londoners with more frequent, reliable and comfortable journeys from 2024.

“Each train will feature 10 per cent more capacity and also provide better facilities for those with mobility impairments. The DLR is a vital transport option for east London and the Docklands area and these upgrades will support new jobs and homes in the area, helping to make London a greener, fairer and more prosperous city for all.”