WIREDGOV

Part of a three-year series of improvements to increase frequency across the whole DLR network.

Docklands Light Railway (DLR) customers are benefitting from an increase in services after extra trains were added to a number of the routes recently (Sunday 23rd).

The changes follows improvements made earlier this year to make services faster and more frequent across large parts of the network, and form part of a series of work over the next three years that will see a more frequent service across the whole DLR network.

The new services include:

• A third more trains between Stratford and Lewisham during the Monday to Friday morning peak. This will mean a train every four minutes between Stratford and Canary Wharf;
• Increased frequency between Stratford and Canary Wharf during Monday to Friday off-peak periods. This will boost capacity by 20%, an additional 1,100 customers an hour;
• Twice as many weekend trains between Stratford and Canary Wharf from 08:30-22:00 on Saturday and 10:30-19:30 on Sunday;
• Twice as many trains between Bank and Lewisham on Saturdays between 19:30-22:00.

Easier for customers

A new seating layout to increase the space available inside DLR trains is also being introduced, making it easier for customers to board.

Between now and the end of 2015, more than one third of DLR trains are being converted to have seating along the sides of the carriage to make it even easier to move between the seats.

Despite the change in appearance, the converted cars will have exactly the same number of seats as before.

TfL's Director of the DLR, Rory O'Neill, said: 'The DLR has been an integral part of the regeneration of the Docklands and south east London since it started operating back in 1987. Today we carry over 100 million passengers a year and that figure is set to rise.

'We have been making improvements to the service and will continue to do so over the next few years to help meet growing demand as London's population continues to rise.'

Other service changes include:

• The current Beckton to West Ham service will now terminate at Canning Town;
• Last train times will be earlier on some routes into central London by up to 30 minutes. Customers are advised to check before they travel.

Notes to editors:

• The DLR began operating in 1987, with 11 trains serving 15 stations and in its first year of operation it carried 6.7m people. Today the railway - which is entirely step-free - has 45 stations, 38km of track and 149 carriages and during the 2014/15 year, it carried record-breaking 110m passengers
• The railway was a crucial carrier during the London 2012 Olympic Games when 6.9million journeys were made - up by over 100% on normal levels. Over 500,000 journeys on a single day were made for the first time on Friday 3 August, 2012
• The DLR is part of a large and growing TfL network of rail services, which also includes London Overground routes across the Capital including the West Anglia services from Liverpool Street station to Enfield Town, Cheshunt (via Seven Sisters) and Chingford, along with TfL Rail stopping services from Liverpool Street to Shenfield
• In 2018, TfL-run Crossrail services between central London, Shenfield and Abbey Wood will begin to interchange with the DLR at several stations - Canary Wharf, West India Quay, Stratford and Custom House - where new platforms, a new ticket hall and entrance are being constructed. Crossrail works also meant that Pudding Mill Lane station was relocated further down the line, delivering a bigger and better station and allowing double tracking. Crossrail trains will exit the tunnels where the previous station had been.