Docklands Light RailwayThe Docklands Light Railway was constructed in order to spur the revitalization of the Isle of Dogs east of London. The original routes were Island Gardens to Stratford and Tower Gateway (at Tower Hill tube station). Trains began running on August 31, 1987. On July 29, 1991, the DLR opened a new terminal at Bank. Ridership was high from the start and additional cars had to be ordered very soon after opening. On March 28, 1994, trains began to run between Beckton and Blackwall although they did not connect to the rest of the system. Service from Beckton to Tower Gateway commenced on July 31, 1995. In 1999, the Mudchute and Island Gardens stations were closed so they could be rebuilt as part of the extension to Lewisham, including a station near the Cutty Sark in Greenwich. The Lewisham extension opened on November 20, 1999. The latest extension to the system opened on December 2, 2005 from Canning Town to King George V, including a stop at London City Airport. It is planned to extend this line to Woolwich in the future, and other expansions are also being planned. As of mid-2008, platforms are being extended to accomodate 3 car trains.
The current DLR rolling stock fleet has 3 types of stock; two stocks have been retired. The DLR was originally served by P86 Stock. This stock was retired in 1991 because it could not operate on the Bank branch due to inadequate fireproofing, and upgrading its signaling systems was cost prohibitive. The other retired stock is P89 Stock, and it was retired in the mid-1990s. Both P86 Stock and P89 Stock were sold to Essener Verkehrs-AG of Essen, Germany, where they were refitted with pantographs and cabs and operate in service to this day. The current stock consists of B90, B92, and B2K Stock, built by Bombardier in 1991, 1993-1995, and 2001-2002, respectively. Bombardier is also building new, redesigned trains for the DLR, called the B07 Stock, scheduled to enter service in late-2008, and B09 Stock, additional cars of which will follow shortly thereafter. The B09 Stock is being partially funded by the Olympic Delivery Authority.
The DLR fare collection works on the honor system. Random inspections of Oysters and tickets are conducted. Certain LT tickets are valid on the DLR. The DLR connects with the Underground at Tower Gateway (Circle and District), Bank (Central, Circle, District, Northern, and Waterloo and City), Shadwell (East London), Canary Wharf (Jubilee), Bow Church (District and Hammersmith and City), and Stratford (Central and Jubilee).
Reccommended reading: Docklands Light Rail: Official Handbook
ISBN: 185414 223 2
Publisher: Capital Transport Publishing, Harrow Weald, Middlesex
The webmaster bought his copy at the Transport Museum Store at Covent Garden. It may be available at other locations.
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This line has been in operation since