More of the new DLR trains have arrived for testing, but passenger launch delayed

More of the new DLR trains have arrived in the UK for testing, but passengers won’t be riding them until next year after problems with the signalling systems delayed their launch.

New DLR train (c) TfL

According to the papers presented to Transport for London’s (TfL) Programmes and Investment Committee this week, four new DLR trains at the Beckton depot are now being used for testing on the network. Meanwhile, the manufacturer has completed 40 of the 54 new trains on order.

Although 32 of the new trains will replace older, worn-out trains, the DLR fleet will increase by 22 trains, which means they’ve been rebuilding the Beckton depot to create more space. That work hit a stumbling block early on when the contractor, BGCL, filed for bankruptcy, delaying the construction work while TfL looked for a replacement company.

The replacement northern sidings were finally brought into operational use in August 2024, while construction of the new maintenance building has now started, and the new southern sidings will come into use soon. Work on the space to expand the depot for the new trains should start soon. The train manufacturer, CAF has agreed to hold onto most of the remaining DLR trains until there’s space at Beckton to house them.

That won’t itself delay the introduction of the new trains, as most of them are replacements for the older trains, so the capacity uplift can come later. However, they expect to have ten trains delivered by April 2025.

However there’s been the problem with the signlling system which not only affected the existing fleet but is also delaying the depolyment of the new trains as well.

TfL has now confirmed that they are now “unable to introduce the new trains this year but are exploring options to introduce them as soon as possible alongside implementing solutions to the legacy signalling issues”.

Elsewhere on the DLR, upgrades to the public address system are finished, and migration is ongoing to bring the new system into use. West India Quay lighting renewal has been commissioned into service, and Poplar low-voltage renewals are complete. Two escalators at South Quays have returned to service, and work has begun on lift renewals at City Airport, King George, Limehouse, Star Lane, and Westferry.

At Blackwall station, work on the secondary station entrance is nearing completion, and the new entrance is expected to be operational in early 2025.

And work on securing funding approval for the DLR extension to Thamesmead continues.