Twelve new DLR trains set to be completed by April
TfL state they hope 12 new trains set for the DLR will have finished construction by April. It’s less than two weeks the first new DLR train arrived in London.
It’s out with the current red colour scheme and in with turquoise. New trains will have air conditioning, walk-through carriages and USB points.
An update on the trains is provided in the latest TfL Commissioners report. It includes a number of points related to the trains, including good news that an option for 11 further trains appears to be going ahead.
That brings new trains up from 42 to 53 enabling frequency and service improvements across the DLR network once trains are in service from 2024.
The report states: “We have received confirmation from the Government of its intention to fund 11 additional trains through the Housing Infrastructure Fund to provide additional capacity and unlock further housing growth in the Royal Docks and Isle of Dogs areas.
“We are working with the Government to enable the transfer of funds and the activation of the additional option with the train manufacturer, and expect this to take place in February.”
To enable the increase in overall stock, sidings at Beckton are being expanded.
“At Beckton, critical works to complete the changeover of the signalling power supplies on the northern sidings works and to install new transformer rectifiers in the substation were successfully completed in line with the revised programme.”
Work will also begin to expand to the south: “The contract for the maintenance facility building and additional southern sidings have now been awarded.
“This is the largest procurement of the programme after the rolling stock contract. The new maintenance building will have 400 solar panels installed on the roof, providing excess low-voltage power required for the new shed.”
The sidings at Poplar will remain, with research ongoing into the feasibility of building over the site.
Other work includes a second entrance and exit at Blackwall station.
Service improvements will se increased frequency of trains into Lewisham and Woolwich Arsenal, plus the branch to Beckton.
Will the new DLR trains bleep loudly & emit piercing beeps at every station as if it were about to embark on a takeoff to the moon? What about the relentless passenger information overload, reminding passengers what the next station “IS” & to take “ALL YOUR BELONGINGS WITH YOU!” The DLR is the worst form of transport – who enjoys sitting in a metal cage that resembles a demented dalek?
One can only hope that the new ones will be better.
It’s even worse on Southeastern. On coastbound trains that divide en route you have to endure all the stops being laboriously read out at every station, with exhortations to travel in the correct part of the train and ‘This is Coach X of Y’.
On London-bound services the conductor tends to make similar irritating announcements, only for the automated system to repeat the same script immediately.