KeolisAmey Docklands Ltd takes over Docklands Light Railway

The new franchisee says it will focus on boosting services and on implementing a series of service improvements to make journeys better for passengers.

Passengers will see the first significant change early next year, with the introduction of a five-minute off-peak service to Woolwich Arsenal and a five-minute service between Bank and Lewisham until 2330 each night – cutting waiting times in half. Three-car trains will also be introduced between Stratford and Canary Wharf at weekends, reducing crowding and giving more pleasant journeys. Longer term, a five-minute off-peak service will be introduced across the whole network by 2017.

 Welcoming senior executives from KeolisAmey Docklands Ltd to the railway today, Mike Brown, Managing Director of London Rail, said: “I look forward to a successful partnership with KeolisAmey Docklands Ltd and I am confident this will result in an even better service for our customers.

The new agreement with Transport for London (TfL) puts in place clear incentives to continue to drive the high levels of customer service seen on the DLR in recent years. This includes cleaner trains and stations, more reliable lifts and escalators, more efficient and reliable station maintenance and faster passenger journeys. These incentives will also enable the network’s current 99% reliability record to be maintained.

Chief Executive Officer for Keolis UK, Alistair Gordon, said: “It is our ambition that over the course of this franchise the DLR will become the best automated service in the world.”

• For more information, see RAIL 764, published on December 24