The new DLR rolling stock
The first car of new DLR "B07 stock"* was delivered nearly two months ago, but unless my Google skills are failing me no pictures have appeared online yet. So I've been to Beckton to get some myself.
[ Update: A much better close up ]
From this distance at least it doesn't look as radical as in the artist's impression. The only obvious external differences are the curvier front end and full height windows in the doors. The livery has gained a black stripe along the windows and light blue bits on the swooshes. They have a mockup of new front end design at the London Transport Museum, which shows it better than I could.
A public exhibition of the new units is planned for "this month", and some of them should be in service during the first half of this year. The new units are to expand rather than replace the existing fleet, necessitated by the opening of the City Airport/Woolwich Arsenal branch and the plans for 3-car running. The latter is being partly paid for with Olympic funds.
[If you're determined to see this for yourself, it's currently parked towards the southwest corner of Beckton depot. Turn left (east) out of Gallions Reach DLR and follow Armada Way around the corner, and it should be right in front of you]
* Or B09 or C09, depending on who you believe.
6 comments:
Another scoop and one I've been waiting weeks to see - we were originally due this sight in December. Top work again Mr T and thank you.
THC
I'll second that completely. Why TFL are so secretive about publishing anything like this is beyond me, you would have thought they wanted publicity themselves about actual improvements like new trains
Although I agree the livery is ugly (lose the red!), I am most interested in the construction of the trains.
The current stock feels like a tent on wheels. It wobbles from left to right and feels anything but sturdy. It makes them feel cheap.
I love the 'patio door' type look :) I think anonymous will be dissapointed though, because they look even less sturdy than the current rolling stock...
I'm less enamoured by the complete lack of information regarding the fact that you couldn't get to Canary Wharf from anywhere on the DLR network other than Lewisham over the weekend, because of the work they're doing to prepare West India Quay for 3-car operation (i.e. it was closed, but not advertised as such)
Yup, they made clear that there were no trains from Bank or Tower Gateway to Canary Wharf, but not that there were also no trains from Stratford... Eejits.
This pictures is copyrighted under what license.
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