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Docklands Light Railway : Trains

The DLR has a total of 94 trains in service, built by BN Construction/Bombardier in Bruges. They are two-car articulated units, which normally operate with two units coupled together. There are three batches of trains in service, made up of two types, designated B90, B92 and B2K—following the convention for London Underground surface rolling stock, the '90' '92' and '2K' (ie. '2000') giving an indication of the year of construction. B92 and B2K stock were built to the same design; B2K stock trains were delivered with changes to internal and external colour schemes made to comply with updated disability discrimination legislation.

Delivery has commenced of a new batch of 24 units, designated B07 stock; these will be followed by a further batch of 31 units, designated B09 stock. These units will be used when the platform extension works have been completed to enable 3-unit trains, and for the new services to Woolwich Arsenal and Stratford International.

When the DLR opened in 1987, it was operated with just eleven trains of P86 stock (numbered 01–11), built by German manufacturer LHB. These were joined in 1989 by 10 cars of P89 stock (numbered 12–21) built by British Rail Engineering Ltd. (BREL). The P86 stock was sold to EVAG in Essen, Germany in 1991, as it was unsuitable for operation in the Bank tunnel; P89 stock followed in 1997.

DLR rolling stock is unique in a number of ways. The trains are designed for full Automatic Train Operation (ATO), and so have no seperate driver's cab. The train may be driven manually by the Passenger Service Agent (formerly Train Captain), by controls normally kept locked under cover at the front of the train, but in normal operation the PSA's only intervention is to press a start button from a position within the passsenger saloon after closing the doors, after which the train proceeds under automatic control. The lack of a cab means unrivalled views from the front passenger seats, particularly spectacular on the ride through the Isle of Dogs.

The other unique feature is the method of current collection—traction current is supplied at 750Vdc through a third rail, but with the current collector making contact with the underside of the conductor rail, which is insulated on the top and sides.

Fleet list

B90 stock

Delivered 1991

Fleet numbers 22–44 (following on from original P86/89 stock fleet numbers)

B92 stock

Delivered from 1992

Fleet numbers 45–91

B2K stock

Delivered 2002–2003

Fleet numbers 1–16 and 92–99

B07 stock

Delivery commenced in 2007

Fleet numbers 101–124

B09 stock

Delivery due to commence in 2009

Fleet numbers 125–155

Complete listing

Click on unit number for pictures

Unit number	Type	Livery
01	B2K	DLR
02	B2K	DLR
03	B2K	DLR
04	B2K	DLR
05	B2K	DLR
06	B2K	DLR
07	B2K	DLR
08	B2K	DLR
09	B2K	DLR
10	B2K	DLR
11	B2K	DLR
12	B2K	DLR
13	B2K	DLR
14	B2K	DLR
15	B2K	DLR
16	B2K	DLR
22	B90	DLR
23	B90	DLR
24	B90	DLR
25	B90	DLR
26	B90	DLR
27	B90	DLR
28	B90	DLR
29	B90	DLR
30	B90	DLR
31	B90	DLR
32	B90	DLR
33	B90	DLR
34	B90	DLR
35	B90	DLR
36	B90	DLR
37	B90	DLR
38	B90	DLR
39	B90	DLR
40	B90	DLR
41	B90	DLR
42	B90	DLR
43	B90	DLR
44	B90	DLR
45	B92	DLR
46	B92	DLR
47	B92	DLR
48	B92	DLR
49	B92	DLR
50	B92	DLR
51	B92	DLR
52	B92	DLR
53	B92	DLR
54	B92	DLR
55	B92	DLR
56	B92	DLR
57	B92	DLR
58	B92	DLR
59	B92	DLR
60	B92	DLR
61	B92	DLR
62	B92	DLR
63	B92	DLR
64	B92	DLR
65	B92	DLR
66	B92	DLR
67	B92	DLR
68	B92	DLR
69	B92	DLR
70	B92	DLR
71	B92	DLR
72	B92	DLR
73	B92	DLR
74	B92	DLR
75	B92	DLR
76	B92	DLR
77	B92	DLR
78	B92	DLR
79	B92	DLR
80	B92	DLR
81	B92	DLR
82	B92	DLR
83	B92	DLR
84	B92	DLR
85	B92	DLR
86	B92	DLR
87	B92	DLR
88	B92	DLR
89	B92	DLR
90	B92	DLR
91	B92	DLR
92	B2K	DLR
93	B2K	DLR
94	B2K	DLR
95	B2K	DLR
96	B2K	DLR
97	B2K	DLR
98	B2K	DLR
99	B2K	DLR
101 §	B07
102 §	B07
103 §	B07
104	B07	revised DLR
105	B07	revised DLR
106	B07	revised DLR
107	B07	revised DLR
108	B07	revised DLR
109	B07	revised DLR
110	B07	revised DLR
111 §	B07
112	B07	revised DLR
113 §	B07
114 §	B07
115 §	B07
116 §	B07
117 §	B07
118 §	B07
119 §	B07
120 §	B07
121 §	B07
122 §	B07
123 §	B07
124 §	B07
125 §	B09
126 §	B09
127 §	B09
128 §	B09
129 §	B09
130 §	B09
131 §	B09
132 §	B09
133 §	B09
134 §	B09
135 §	B09
136 §	B09
137 §	B09
138 §	B09
139 §	B09
140 §	B09
141 §	B09
142 §	B09
143 §	B09
144 §	B09
145 §	B09
146 §	B09
147 §	B09
148 §	B09
149 §	B09
150 §	B09
151 §	B09
152 §	B09
153 §	B09
154 §	B09
155 §	B09

§ unit due for delivery 2008–2009
B07 cars which have been delivered are not yet in service

Liveries

The original DLR livery, as applied to P66 and P89 stock, comprised a blue skirt and blue body, a red band with white stripe top and bottom below the windows sweeping up around red doors. The 'Docklands' fleetname was applied on the sides at car ends, in Rockwell typeface. The livery has also been used with a more recent DLR logo.

B2K stock was delivered with the same livery as above, but with doors painted white to comply with recent disability regulations that require vehicle doors to be visually distinctive. In this version of the livery, the red band and white stripes do not sweep around doors.

The current DLR livery was introduced in 2004, and is now carried by all B90, B92 and B2K units. This comprises a red base with a blue wavey band (representing the River Thames) along bodyside, silver doors and a turquoise and dark blue 'DLR' variant of the TfL roundel on bodysides and on car ends underneath windscreen. The new B07 units carry a variant of this livery with black ends and window surrounds ('revised DLR').