Transport for London (TfL) has granted KeolisAmey a new eight-year contract to operate and maintain the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), a franchise they have successfully managed for the past decade. The new contract, set to commence on 1 April 2025, was awarded following a competitive tendering process and focuses on several key improvements aimed at enhancing the customer experience and meeting future service demands.
Key improvements under the new contract include:
- Timetable Enhancements: Increasing service frequencies and capacity upgrades to support population growth, especially in areas like Royal Dock and the Isle of Dogs where the DLR is a primary transport option.
- Environmental Initiatives: Supporting TfL’s efforts to improve London’s air quality by reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.
- Vision Zero Commitments: Contributing to TfL’s goal of eliminating deaths and serious injuries across London’s transport network.
- Customer Experience Improvements:
- Fully rolling out and promoting Access DLR, a free travel assistance service for anyone over 18 needing extra support.
- Setting new customer satisfaction targets for the appearance and availability of ticket machines, lifts, escalators, and information systems.
- Implementing improved performance measurement methods to ensure the best possible service for customers.
- Performance Incentives: Introducing new incentives to reduce fare evasion and protect TfL’s revenue.
- New Trains: Supporting the introduction of 54 new DLR trains to enhance service frequency and reliability. These new trains will replace the 33 oldest trains in the fleet, with an additional 21 trains boosting overall capacity by 50%.
Tom Page, TfL’s General Manager for the DLR, said, “I am looking forward to continuing to work with KeolisAmey. Over the next few years, customers will benefit from a number of improvements, including a fleet of new trains offering increased capacity and frequency. So the continuing support and new ideas KeolisAmey will bring to enhance the experience for customers will be invaluable.”
With over 90 million journeys made each year, the DLR is the busiest light railway in the UK. It serves a growing employment centre and cultural hub at Stratford, enabling people from southeast London to access new jobs in east London without traveling through Zone 1. It also serves Canary Wharf, a crucial centre for the financial and professional service industries, where it connects with the Tube network and the Elizabeth line.
Image credits: Transport for London
