Last week marked the 25th anniversary of the opening of the DLR. Originally intended as a low cost option to support the Docklands redevelopment programme, the DLR had a somewhat troubled gestation. Now, however, it forms a vital part of London’s transport infrastructure.
To help celebrate its birthday, we’ve pulled together some images from its past. If any readers have memories of the DLR’s construction or early years, please feel free to share them in the comments.
This also seems a good opportunity to highlight the existence of our new Flickr photo pool – The London Reconnections Photo Pool. If you have photos of London’s transport infrastructure, old or new, then we’d love to see them.
Indeed, if anyone has any DLR photos they feel would be of interest and would compliment those below, please feel free to add them to the pool and let us know that you’re happy for us to share them, we’ll look to add a selection to this article.
Building the Line
To minimise cost the DLR used a lot of existing infrastructure where possible. The photos below show the remains of Leman Street Station on the old London Tilbury & Southend at the end of the seventies, the construction of the DLR on the site and the same location today.
The old Leman Street Station, courtesy Danny McL
The DLR under construction, courtesy Danny McL
Leman Street today, courtesy Danny McL
New building work was, obviously, also required. The photos below focus on Canary Wharf. Intended to open as part of the original stretch of line, it soon became clear that plans for a two platform station on the site were insufficient and its opening was thus delayed whilst the station was redesigned and expanded.
The site of Canary Wharf station (or thereabouts) in 1985, courtesy DaveAFlett
Looking south in 1985, courtesy DaveAFlett
Canary Wharf station in 1991, courtesy DaveAFlett
Mudchute under construction in 1987, courtesy Steve White2008
The Beckton Extension under construction in 1990, courtesy Steve White2008
DLR Station mockup elements, 1994, courtesy Steve White2008
The Early Years
The early years saw rapid change and expansion on the DLR, along with some troublesome early problems. In design terms, it was very much a product of its time, as the images below highlight.
The DLR in 1987
The DLR at All Saints in 1987, courtesy Andy Neal
The (now demolished) Island Gardens station in 1987, courtesy Andy Neal
A DLR Train Captain in 1987
The DLR at Stratford in 1993, courtesy Andy Neal
Inside the DLR, March 1990, courtesy Steve White2008
The DLR (and Charlie Brown’s!) in 1987, courtesy Steve White2008
The other side of a Photo Op, 1989, courtesy Steve White2008
Ticket machines at Poplar, 1990, courtesy Steve White2008
Modern Times
Recent years have seen the DLR become a critical part of the London transport network. The images below are some of our favourites from its recent history.
The DLR in the snow
The new South Quay station in 2009
DLR Trains en route from Germany in 2009
Delta Junction in all its glory
Many thanks to all the Flickr contributors who kindly agreed to let us use their excellent photos in this article
I have notice recently that part of the disused viaduct curve at Tower Gateway, near to the Bank dive down has been demolished. Any idea what this work is for?
This seemed to be the most recent DLR article so I thought it as good as place as any to post this news from TfL of frequency changes and new seating layouts. Obviously mods, move if you think it would be better elsewhere.
https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/dlr/improving-the-dlr
Pic of new seats on Twitter
https://twitter.com/tfl/status/632494583675535360
I can’t easily find usage figures of the DLR and stations, compared to rail services. I’m assuming growth has been rapid?
If so, how long will minor timetable and seat changes buy until capacity is full? Crossrail is going to relieve it of course but then all DLR branches are seeing massive housing growth alongside, with much not walkable to Crossrail so usage is unlikely to drop too much – meaning in, say 5 years, we are back to where we were?
The Beckton branch has a fair bit of housing now going up at Beckton. There’s also the Chinese business park. Crossrail wont do much for these areas.
Lewisham branch has a huge amount of housing coming eg Elverson Road estates, Deptford Bridge housing, Asda redevlopment at crossharbour etc. Limited Crossrail relief?
Woolwich the same. Numerous developments along the Royal Docks with only some stations being near a Crossrail station.
Stratford too of course, though Crossrail effect will be more pronounced here. How quickly housing goes up around Star Lane etc will be a factor.
Going above 3 cars will be very difficult so what is the plan if Crossrail fills up 5 years after opening and housing development continues apace beside many DLR stations, as seems to be the plan?
Oh, should add I know Crossrail will relieve some longer distance traffic eg people from Kent changing to DLR at Woolwich who will instead go to Crossrail at Abbey Wood (easier interchange than Woolwich), but will that be enough to compensate for a big increase in local traffic, and for how long?
@ Ed – there is data on DLR pass kms and journey stages in the TfL Travel in London report 7. You can also download a spreadsheet with the data that sits behind the graphs.
https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/travel-in-london-reports
In 1987 the DLR had 3m jny stages and 15m pass kms. The values for 2013/14 are 101m jny stages and 537m pass kms. I’ve never seen usage numbers for DLR stations despite there being passenger counters at all platform entrances. The various extensions have given big pushes to both metrics.
Many thanks for that. I vaguely recall seeing some station figures I believe but nothing recent, and who knows I could’ve dreamt it up.
I said earlier that Crossrail will take a lot of people off the DLR at Stratford but I was wrong, at least for newcomers who work in Canary Wharf. That branch heading south would be better than Crossrail to Whitechapel then switching to an eastbound Canary Wharf train, so still a big demand on that branch. Futuue employment at Canary Wharf and residential population at Stratford are very large so no respite there. Indeed, the timetable changes are cutting back on Beckton to West Ham trains to increase Stratford to Canary Wharf, though the Beckton branch will see increased demand.
Another disclaimer! Of course there’s the Jubilee and it’s up to 36tph but a fair few developments are 5 mins to the DLR stations rather than 15 to Jubilee so that negates fewer stops on the Jubilee line (and the discomfort of a tube train opposed to a DLR where you can stand upright).
@ Ed – the latest TfL business plan shows what TfL are expecting to happen to the DLR. Service volume builds up over the next couple of years – I assume from running trains more frequently and for more hours a day at higher frequencies. KMs operated rise from 6m in 2014/15 to 6.9m in 2018/19. However pass jnys rise up to 2017/18 to nearly 130m and then there are drops for two years as Crossrail comes on stream. Patronage is assumed to build again from 2020/21. IIRC TfL are expecting the biggest impact on the Woolwich branch of the DLR.
There won’t be much housing development near Star Lane DLR.
East side is mostly 19th century terraces in good nick and late 20th century council built. West side fairly modern factories and warehouses.
The point of the DLR station was to improve accessibility to the existing.
Me and my girlfriend was the first people to be on the DLR 2009
And I was of the first non railway people to travel on the DLR when it first opened over 30 years ago. I was filming the Queen & Prince Phillip for ITN as they sat in the two front seats on the inaugural train. They loved it,& so did I right next to them.
I remember seeing you Jim . I was in a seat behind her .
Jim how could it be 30 years ago when Her Majesty opened the DLR 25 years ago ! Hence 25th Anniversary.
I have been trying to find my old diary from 1987 where I listed the story I did each day for Thames News/Thames at 6.
(I was the industrial correspondent hired in 1977, along with a local gov Corr & a political Corr to make Thames TV reputable again after Presenter Bill Grundy goaded Johnny Rotten to shout the F word at 6pm on Thames)
I can’t find my diary..
But even better, googling has produced three sources that all say the DLR opened in August 1987.
So I was right in saying in 2017 that it opened 30 years ago.
I assume the London reconnection picture article titled “the DLR at 25” was written in 2012. Indeed if Sledge had read the article he would have seen the picture captions referring to 1987.
This article was published on 29th August 2012. Unfortunately, the site design does not make this obvious. The problem is exacerbated by the earliest visible comment being of relatively recent date – this is because of some server problems a while ago, which were overcome as regards the actual articles, but unfortunately large numbers of older comments were lost.
In general, recent comments are usually only made to recent articles. But this is not always the case, so would readers please be careful about making date assumptions.
The photos don’t seem to be working any more 😞
@CHARLOTTE /Admins
If you go to archive.org and put in this article and go back to September 2012 the pictures can be seen. They didn’t get moved server correctly back in 2013.