Transport for LondonDocklands Light Railway - News Archive
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First London 2012 DLR carriage reaches the starting line
The first new Docklands Light Railway (DLR) carriage part-funded by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has been delivered to Stratford station. The ODA and Transport for London (TfL) contributed £20m each for 22 new carriages in preparation for increased DLR services during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Prior to the Games, the carriages will be used to help form the three-car trains that DLR will introduce from early 2010. The carriages will also be used to aid capacity on DLR's most recent extension, to Woolwich Arsenal, and future Stratford International extension, opening summer 2010.
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said:
"This cracking new carriage is just a small part of a crucial investment in the DLR so that it will be able to cope with the many thousands of extra passengers the line will carry during London 2012. But the really great thing about these carriages is that Londoners can already benefit from them three years before the Games even begin."
ODA Director of Transport, Hugh Sumner, said:
"The Games will bring a wealth of benefits to Londoners before, during and after 2012, with DLR passengers one of the first to feel the benefit via this next generation of trains. The Games will leave a remarkable legacy with the first signs of delivery already taking shape, almost three years before the competition commences."
DLR Director, Jonathan Fox, said:
"The arrival is great news for DLR. We have worked incredibly hard during the past 18 months to expand and upgrade our system in order to allow us to run this next generation of trains.
"The new carriages will prove fundamental to meeting our ever-increasing passenger demand now and in the future, and I look forward to shortly seeing them in operation."
DLR has ordered 55 new rail carriages at almost £2m each. 33 had been delivered, all funded by TfL, with most now in service. The part-funded ODA carriages form the remaining 22 and will begin to enter service from next month to autumn 2010.
The 55 carriages will see the DLR fleet grow from 94 to 149.
The ODA has invested £80m in DLR to allow upgrades and improvements to be made prior to 2012. DLR will serve four competition venues: the Olympic Park, ExCeL London, Woolwich Royal Artillery Barracks and Greenwich Park.
Notes to Editors
1. You can download images of the new car at Stratford Station from http://mm.gettyimages.com/mm/nicePath/locog?nav=pr128919036
2. Currently DLR runs a two-car service. In order to accommodate future demand the railway has carried out a comprehensive upgrade programme during the past 18 months so it can run three-car trains from early 2010.
3. Up to 500,000 people a day will use DLR during the Games.
4. DLR placed its rail carriage order in June 2006. The first entered service on 23 July 2009.
For further information please contact the Olympic Delivery Authority Press Office on +44 (0)203 2012 700 or visit the website at www.london2012.com
The construction of the venues and infrastructure of the London 2012 Games is funded by the National Lottery through the Olympic Lottery Distributor, The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Mayor of London and the London Development Agency.
DLR has previously produced a DVD on its new rail carriages. To order a copy email david.sanders@dlr.tfl.gov.uk or click here: http://developments.dlr.co.uk/enhancements/rollingstock/index.asp
