Docklands Light Railway - Docklands Light Railway Corporate Affairs - E

Docklands Light Railway - E

Docklands Light Railway Corporate Affairs

Docklands Light Railway Ownership and Operators

Initially, DLR was a wholly owned subsidiary of London Regional Transport. In 1992, it was transferred to the London Docklands Development Corporation.

The infrastructure is owned by Docklands Light Railway Ltd, part of the London Rail division of Transport for London (TfL), which also manages London Overground, London Trams, the IFS Cloud Cable Car and the Elizabeth line.

From 1997, DLR has been operated under franchise by the private sector. The first franchise was awarded to Serco Docklands Limited for seven years, operations began in April 1997. A management buyout backed by Serco management later sold its shares to Serco. A two-year extension was granted in 2002. In February 2005 TfL announced that Balfour Beatty/Keolis, First Carillion, RATP/Transdev and Serco had been shortlisted to operate the franchise, and in November 2005 TfL announced that Serco had retained the franchise for seven years from May 2006.

The Lewisham, City Airport and Woolwich Arsenal extensions were designed, financed, built and maintained by private companies (concessionnaires): City Greenwich Lewisham (CGL) Rail, City Airport Rail Enterprises (CARE), and Woolwich Arsenal Rail Enterprises (WARE). In 2011, Transport Trading Limited (a subsidiary of TfL) bought out the companies responsible for the City Airport and Woolwich Arsenal extensions, leaving only the Lewisham extension under private ownership until 31 March 2021.

In July 2012 TfL called for expressions of interest in bidding for the next DLR franchise, and in January 2013 Serco's contract was extended until September 2014.

In April 2013 TfL announced that Go-Ahead/Colas Rail, Keolis/Amey, Serco and Stagecoach had been shortlisted to bid for the next franchise. However, on 30 August, just before the bid submission date of 9 September 2013, Go-Ahead/Colas Rail pulled out. The franchise was awarded to KeolisAmey Docklands Limited, with a handover date of 7 December 2014, expiring in April 2021 with an option for extension without going to tender.

Docklands Light Railway Performance

Within a year of launch, annual passenger numbers reached 17 million, increasing to 64 million in 2009, and more than 80 million in 2011. The most recent figures show 116.8 million annual passengers in the financial year to 31 March 2020. The first five years had unreliability and operational problems, but the system has since become highly reliable. Research in 2008 showed 87% of the population of North Woolwich were in favour of the DLR.

The Parliamentary Transport Select Committee favourably reviewed light rail in 2005, and due to the success of the DLR, proposals for similar systems elsewhere emerged. The North and West London Light Railway was a plan for an orbital railway serving the other side of London. The DLR has been successful, as have other recent light rail systems, although it was earlier criticised for having been designed with insufficient capacity to meet the demand that quickly arose.

Until 1 July 2013, the only bicycles that were allowed were folding ones. DLR stated that this is because if evacuation is required, they would slow down the process. DLR cars, especially older rolling stock, were not designed with bicycles in mind – if they were allowed, they might obstruct doors and emergency exits. Since January 2014 full-size bicycles have been allowed on DLR trains at off-peak hours and weekends (except Bank Station, where bicycles are not permitted for safety reasons).

Docklands Light Railway Notes/Sources

^ As defined in the DfT Light Rail and Tram Survey (Table LRT0301a)

^ As defined in TfL's Annual Report and Statement of Accounts

Activities in financial years 2020/21 and 2021/22 were severely reduced by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Docklands Light Railway Overview

Docklands Light Railway Owner: Docklands Light Railway Ltd, part of Transport for London

Docklands Light Railway Area Served: London

Docklands Light Railway Locale: Greater London

Docklands Light Railway Transit Type: Light metro

Docklands Light Railway Number of Lines: 7

Docklands Light Railway Number of Stations: 45

Docklands Light Railway Daily Ridership: 340,000 (daily average, DfT 2017)

Docklands Light Railway Annual Ridership: 92.3 million (2022/23)

Docklands Light Railway Increase: 19.6%

Docklands Light Railway Headquarters: Endeavour Square, E20

Docklands Light Railway Operation:

Began operation 31 August 1987, 36 years ago

Docklands Light Railway Operator(s): KeolisAmey Docklands Limited (Keolis 70%, Amey 30%)

Docklands Light Railway Number of Vehicles: 149

Docklands Light Railway Train Length: 2 or 3 vehicles per trainset

Headway 3–5 minutes

Docklands Light Railway System Length: 38 km (24 mi)

Docklands Light Railway No. of Tracks: 2

Docklands Light Railway Track Gauge: 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

Docklands Light Railway Minimum Radius of Curvature: 125 ft (38 m)

Docklands Light Railway Electrification: 750 V DC third rail (bottom contact)

Top Speed:

50 mph (80 km/h) (Maximum Speed Capable)

40 mph (64 km/h) (Regular Operational Speed)

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