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New DLR timetable promises quicker, easier and more comfortable journeys

More frequent services will run later in the evening and at the weekend.

  • Reduced waiting times for all services and less crowding at platforms
  • Better connections with Elizabeth line services for easier interchange

Customers will benefit from quicker, easier and more comfortable journeys across the DLR network with the introduction of a new timetable from Monday 26 September. The changes will help people access housing, employment and leisure opportunities more easily across Docklands and east London.

Since the opening of the Elizabeth line in May and with people travelling to the office and leisure activities more frequently, the way customers use the DLR has changed. The new timetable will help ensure there are more trains available where people need them.  

The new timetable will mean more frequent services will run for longer in the evening and on weekends, supporting an increase in leisure travel. The changes also help minimise interchange waiting times with the Elizabeth line at Canary Wharf, Custom House and Stratford stations – making journeys across the city even quicker. With the integration of Elizabeth line services being implemented from Sunday 6 November, DLR customers will be only one change away from key destinations in the capital such as the West End and Heathrow Airport.

All DLR routes will benefit from more frequent services, helping to reduce waiting times and minimise crowding, especially at the busiest times.

The main changes include:

Stratford to Canary Wharf

Weekday peak – services will run every 4 minutes rather than the current 6-7 minutes

Daytime and early evening – services will run every 5 minutes rather than every 10 minutes

Stratford to Lewisham via Canary Wharf

Weekday morning peak – every other train from Stratford will continue to Lewisham providing a service every 2-4 minutes between Canary Wharf and Lewisham.

Canning Town to Beckton

The Canning Town to Beckton shuttle is being reintroduced during the off-peak and being introduced for the first time during the peak. The shuttle will complement existing services meaning a service will operate on the route every 4 minutes during the morning and evening weekday peaks, currently every 8 minutes, and every 5 minutes during off-peak daytimes throughout the week, instead of every 10 minutes.

Improved services in the evening and at weekends

The timetable change will mean more frequent services will run for longer in the evening and on weekends. For example, on weekday evenings, Bank-Lewisham services will run every 5 minutes rather than every 10 minutes.

Tom Page, TfL's General Manager for the DLR, said:

"It is fantastic to see customers regularly using the DLR again and we want to make sure the timetable provides the best possible service. The changes will help our customers complete their journeys more quickly and easily."

Further improvements will be made across the DLR network including modern, walk-through, air-conditioned trains, which are due to enter service from 2024. These will provide further significant improvements to waiting times, crowding and customer experience, as well as supporting housing growth and economic redevelopment across the Docklands and east London.

Customers can plan journeys ahead of these changes by using the TfL Go app or TfL Journey Planner.

  • The timetable change will mean most routes will have no change to train length meaning there is no change to capacity. Some will operate with shorter trains but more frequent services giving an overall increase in capacity.
  • TfL will monitor the impact of these changes, including by reviewing customer and staff feedback, to ensure it is delivering as intended for our customers.
  • This change is being delivered by redistributing existing resources to better support how customers use the DLR - particularly now the Elizabeth line has opened.
  • From Sunday 6 November, the lines from Reading, Heathrow, and Shenfield will connect with the central tunnels of the Elizabeth line - opening up new direct journeys across the capital. This means that customers travelling from Reading and Heathrow will be able to travel east all the way to Canary Wharf, Custom House and Abbey Wood without changing at Paddington. Customers travelling from Shenfield will be able to travel west all the way to Paddington without changing at Liverpool Street. Journeys to onward destinations, including to Heathrow Airport or towards Reading, can be made by changing trains on the same platform at any of the central London stations.

 

Channel website: https://tfl.gov.uk/

Original article link: https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2022/september/new-dlr-timetable-promises-quicker-easier-and-more-comfortable-journeys

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