Building an Urban Railway: 30 Years of the DLR
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- Опубликовано: 4 окт 2024
- As London's Docklands Light Railway (DLR) celebrates its 30th anniversary, we look at the original construction and steady three-decade expansion of this successful urban railway. For more videos by The B1M subscribe now - ow.ly/GxW7y
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I remember when it started. It was like a Toytown railway, and it closed every weekend. Now it's nothing short of amazing how it's opened up so many places which used to be near impossible to visit on public transport.
Kind of makes me feel like building a light rail network.
Transport Fever it is
Try Transport Fever 2
sarcasmo57 you can! Using Roblox Studio
You’re not the only one
@@RtrainProductions-ll1su lmfao no
I ride the DLR every day and I love it. Regular, clean, reliable and a constant phone signal!
plus it's completely level access! it's extremely rare for any rail network (in the uk at least) to have that.
Tahir Ahmad I love London Underground jubilee line I went on it last year and went with DLR with jubilee first station East Ham
Tahir Ahmad =2rrt
Is there mobile signal on the underground portions of the DLR? I do love London's tube system, but the continued lack of mobile signal on it absolutely baffles me! It was already striking during my visits in the early 2000s, but in 2018 it's just bizarre. I'm sure it's an expensive prospect, but it would surely be feasible for telcos and the public benefit worth Government expenditure. I can't help wondering if the newspapers have some kind of conspiracy going on-London is the only place where I still see paper newsprint still in wide use.
Mik Scheper you are joking right? I travel to and from New York, Dubal and Tokyo a lot during the year, have you never been outside of your own country cos newspapers are still bought in their millions all over the world, your silly comment totally distracts from your whole piece, makes a mokery of what you write. Silly man.
Take note Toronto: London built 45 whole stations in less than 40 years. It took you 10 years to build 5.
Toronto has the Go rail lines network running throughout the GTA; they could probably convert them to a more regular transit network and add other stops. Even link it up to the subway better. But do they? Nope.
Blame that on the automobile industry lobbyists.
Other cities in the world do even better in this regard, for example, the New Delhi region built 285 stations in just 17 years.
It took NYC 100 years to build 5
Couldn't do that now though
@@edwin4362 wot we dont even have light rail; although the BQX light rail system is planned with 20 stops and an estimated construction time of 5 years. (ngl i think itll take at least 10) if you’re talking about the second avenue subway, no, it only took 10 years, the rest of the 90 were politicians and people arguing with each other.
I love cities with trains. Sadly I live in one which has too much cars on the road.
eugene badere America?
My city has 200k inhabitants, there are only 2 train stations, xd.
These even are national rail stations and only 1/5 trains even stop on the small station, 70% of all buses have 5 or less people in them. Like do we ever use public transport :)
My city has 13M inhabitants and only 1 real train and 3 light rails (with only 3 cars per train), 2 of which break down regularly! LOL
We live in the same metro I guess. No real progress.
Metro Manila?
The best value for money rollacoaster I ever went on.
I started working for a small firm in Docklands in 1985. Initially I had to get to Mile End station and catch the Docklands express bus along the red brick road to my work at West Ferry. The DLR couldn't come quick enough. When it arrived, I t was easier for me as I got on at Tower Gateway, and later from Bank. (I was commuting from Hounslow). The factory was demolished to make way for Canary Wharf and we moved a few miles to Poplar. I remember when the DLR opened and the Queen travelled on it - only for the automatic system to stop working and the Train Captain had to take over the driving. I can still remember a sheepish looking Captain standing next to HMtQ driving his train. I wonder if anyone else remembers that?
Love the DLR i remember first using it when i was little and Mudchute station was being rebuilt. I worked on the DLR during the Olympics and the foreign tourists who came loved it, it was extra busy but it made no difference to the service and trains were always on time so we never had to close the stations to ease overcrowding
I was in London last year and certainly have pleasant memories of riding the DLR, as I stayed in a hotel near Shadwell. It was fast, frequent, reliable, and there's no way one can resist those front windows. Although I'm surprised they don't have air conditioning
Love the DLR - we need more routes like it! My favourite London route.
best feeling when you are in the front seat
Are you a driver?
Can relate
@@africangodman6145 No lol the trains drive themself so the space where a drivers cab would be is just a seating area. There is 1 staff member on board however.
@@blooga3941 Oh okay, they're automatic I see what you mean 😂
5:30 Didn't realise they moved Island Gardens THAT far when the extension opened... south of the river now, is it?
It seems island gardens didn't exist before the Lewisham extension, as the line terminates at mudchute! How is it possible to make cock ups like this ?
The map is a bit wrong, the old terminus of the Lewisham branch was Island Gardens.
No, it's still on the Isle Of Dogs. They just moved it underground as they couldn't get the required slope from the existing over ground station to get deep enough under the river.
I rode on it the day it opened. There was a big delay as a dog had got on the line between Mudchute and Island Gardens. Reliability was a problem in the early days but it was a joy to travel on.
The DLR Line is realy cool. I had recorded all routes and it was very nice to ride it
What an excellent videos packed with information. I’ve followed the progress if this since the 90s following a school business studies trip snd still learnt a lot from this video. It seems like this is by far one of the most successful transport infrastructure projects ever undertaken in the UK.
Another 1st class video from B1M. Thanks for the interesting topic 💯
Love the thing it’s literally a connection for the whole docklands and this is bigger then most cities major metros and it’s not even our main one. London is crazy
I've used the DLR since its inception and i am happy to report that it is the line that i enjoyed using the most in London, an added benefit is that it links into Crossrail.
Thank you very much for answering all my questions regarding the DLR. Relating its' history to us, the reasons for it's conception,
how the task was approached, how it unfolded, how it was accepted vigorously by commuters, and how its' popularity soared
along with its' expansion. I would dearly love to see this concept adopted here in my city of Brisbane, in Queensland. South east
Queensland is a major growth area in Australia, especially here in the state capital. I see the DLR project as being a system that
if implemented here would be as equally as successful as the London project.
I enjoyed the fresh air during the journey very much.
I feel like West London needs a version of the DLR. it’s so sparse and the underground network doesn’t connect up very well. A light railway system or tram network for serve west London perfectly!
What exactly is a light rail network? I only know what a tram or a metro/subway is.
@@fjellyo3261
A tram or a metro are classic examples of light rail. The DLR is sort of a fuse between the two.
@@galactic_nerd-sk4747 and what is heavy rail then?
@@galactic_nerd-sk4747 -- As I understand the video, it started as a "light" railroad but, after replacing all the rolling stock, essentially it's cars can be mixed with "heavy" rail.
@@fjellyo3261
Heavy rail is just a normal railway, e.g. the line from London to Paris or Boston to Washington.
So Kool, thanks for filming. Nice to see how smoothly things can run when everyone is patient!
77 million pounds. And in NYC it takes more than a billion dollars. I know it's light rail, not full on subway. But still, we need to find a way to reduce cost of the train.
That was for the initial lines. The Bank extension alone cost £149 million. Been quite a few more extensions that have cost, at least, £150 million each. It's an amazing line now.
We did the DLR as a school project back in the 80s and amazing to see it expand and be used by so many.
Just clicked onto this and wow what coincidences firstly I went to Ravenscroft School Barnet. Secondly I was Senior Inspector of Works for the Bank Station extension.
I have worked on BR tunnels in London, The Victoria Line, Inspected the old war time shelters parallel with the Northen line and lastly a short term on CrossRail. Plus road and service tunnels in the capital. Now I'm retired and digging up weeds, Thanks for posting and reviving old memories.
I lived for many years at Limehouse and DLR was a real helper no matter where my destination was.
I didnt know about this. Im going to ride it next time I visit London.
I’d love for it to be extended all the way to Euston!
I will love it to be extended to st pancreas international it would make great access to hs1 and southeastern High speed
@@FnafFanProductions st pancreas lol
No actually it's True it's in the video
@@FnafFanProductions He's referring to the typo "pancreas".
Oh Right Its just the auto correct
Nice video, 30 years ago went just like that, and recalled clearly it opening, when in that year, 1987, worked as a security guard. Then we had the great storm in London, such a cleaver system, and too bad the Croydon Tramlink did not adapt the same (fail safe) system before the Sandilands trash crash, as unsafe due to driver error. All in all, very impressed with the DLR, as so fast, but would like to see the Stratford to Canary Wharf section extended south, instead of terminating.
The Tramlink because it also runs on the street, automatic operation was not an option.
A pleasure to watch...succinct and informative. Looking forward to other route coverage...Cheers.
Gotta appreciate that the original budge was 77mil and a few years later they built a 2 km connection for 194
This is a really good history. I feel like it told me almost everything I wanted to know^. Thank you.
I think you could have touched on its significance as a driverless railway, though it's not a construction issue.
(^ Personally I would have like a comparison with the Tube on some technical issues like the maximum speed, minimum radius, maximum gradient, axle loads.)
I especially liked the POV video watching the trains go through the stations.
But I have never been to London (sadly)...so a quick, 5-10 second overview of the line routes, superimposed on a map (so I could pause it for reference) would have been invaluable.
Though I think it was still a great video.
The fast-forwarded POV views do correspond largely to the routes he was talking about at the time. E.g. the one at the start corresponds to the early part of the route, from tower gateway to Shadwell and onwards. When he talks about the Lewisham, the POV shows the route through to Lewisham. But yes a superimposed map would've been a great idea.
If you like train POV videos, check out a channel called _railcowgril._ She's a train driver in Norway.
@@falsemcnuggethope Thanks...I did. Looks good.
I'll bet SNC-Lavalin took great inspiration from the DLR when designing the Canada Line in Vancouver, as the trains and platforms are roughly the same size. That said, the original Skytrain itself probably took inspiration from the DLR, as it's nearly a decade younger. Automated light metro systems will always generate much more revenue from development than they cost, as their on-time reliability cannot be beat by human-controlled system. This makes the area around every station a dense, well organized machine built with transit in mind. In Vancouver, we're now seeing an average of $5 billion is invested in developments constructed within a 15 minute walk of every Skytrain and Canada Line station. Transit is the best way to ease traffic congestion, encourage affordable housing development, and rapidly and sustainably grow cities. Remove the need for a car, and your city becomes an economic fusion reactor where money and opportunity moves more quickly and dynamically.
DLR opened in 1987. SkyTrain opened in 1985/6. How did SkyTrain get inspiration from DLR?
Canada Line -- with its magnetic linear induction locomotion and completely driverless/conductorless trains -- is much more like SkyTrain than DLR. It is half underground and half elevated. The only similarity is the 2-car trains, needed for the (ridiculously short) stations. I don't know about DLR platforms, but if they're longer than 2-car lengths, they're ready for longer trains.
A great success story.
The DLR is more resilient to snow and ice conditions because of the “enclosed” design of the current-rail/ train -shoe interface.
Agreed, plus when we went from the old Alusingen power rail to the wider 4A live rail, it had even more protection and a wider tolerance.
The points are all heated and during snow, they swing to keep snow from forming and blocking up the open side. If the snow is heavy, they keep the trains running all night to keep the running rails clear of snow and ice.
It's construction cost is cheaper than in Thailand elevated rails in construction now.
Amazing.
Is what You mean is Bangkok? If I right, then it's worth it. Cause Bangkok build metro & upgrading the commuter train. The capacity is bigger. It's faster too.
surprised you don't have more subscribers man! this is a very well recorded, narrated, and illustrated video. i love how the DLR uses moving-block signalling, and honestly i wish every train would hurry up and end up driverless and moving-block, just because of how much better those systems are!
i'm disabled and many tube stations are just complete no-go areas for me, but the DLR is amazing.
Kit Vitae q r
A lot of subway/metro lines have moving block signalling including the Jubilee and Northern Lines but its not so easy on the mainline where you have multiple passenger and freight operators all using the same routes. Building driverless railways is pretty easy but to date there have only been two lines converted to driverless operation (M-1 in Paris and U-2 in Nuremburg) and there are no mainline driverless trains anywhere.
@@ASLEFshrugged the issue I'd assume is that drivers don't want to lose their jobs.
@@xander1052 there were no job loses in Nuremburg or Paris, the main issues are cost and time.
@@ASLEFshrugged tell that to british unions lol, they are incredibly stubborn about nigh on anything.
I recall my first ever journey on the DLR. January 1989 I believe it was, when I travelled from Tower Gateway to Island Gardens, then walked through the foot tunnel to Greenwich, as the line did not go that far then. I have loved using the system ever since.
Great content as always! I wish you could also do more videos about public transportation in Spain and latam. Keep up the good work!
Late June 2021! WOOHOO!!!
Lovely stuff and a good point about the DLR name now being somewhat inappropriate, I'd never really thought of that but you're right.
The US NAVY stationed me in London 1970-1972. I was able to ride the new Victoria Line extension. Back then, the main expansion concept was The Fleet Line.
Harry Andruschak the Fleet Line later became the Jubilee Line :)
Victoria line was the world first fully automated railway
HBD!
When I’ve first traveled with DLR I thought I didn’t see right, no conductor in front of the train. It’s was an amazing experience. I’ve lived in East India, it was so easy to get…anywhere
great example of a viable LR system
And two key things, it started out in an area that needed access and was undergoing major redevelopment and it's in the heart of a huge, densely populated city. So many people who clamor for light rail want to drop it into smaller cities with much lower population density.
@@JeffDeWitt It is true. I live in Patras Greece and the whole municipal or metro unit has around 270,000 inhabitants. And the best the governing bodies came up with was a tram running for around 9.5 km between the University and the National Stadium. However, we are a city fully dominated by the car, and those who drive are often reckless. And the alternative to driving is our bus system. Which only has 11 lines, compared to at least 33 in Heraklion a similarly-sized city, the smallest headway, apart from the University line, being 7 minutes and the tickets being single-fare only and the monthly pass costing 40 Euros for the University Students (compared to Thessaloniki's bus system 15 Euros monthly pass)... They said the tram would be the best solution due to its low cost for it being a ground system and the rejuvenation it would bring to the poorer or neglected neighbourhoods. However the streets are too narrow to make it work, especially when it would not be entirely segregated from other traffic, hence adding time to the total journey. Add the recklesness of the drivers and their sense that the entire length of the road belongs to them to do as they please, from parking to not caring about the signals or the pedestrians and the tram would end up not favourite with the citizens. However, since we have agreed to make the high-speed train connection with Athens underground for 6,5 km got me wondering if a light-rail system like DLR would make our city accessible to everyone, without worrying about traffic congestion and having to own a car to make it through the city, especially from the far-flung suburbs with poor transport links. And judging by the suburban rail line success and overall preference and satisafction, despite it being an hourly service, makes me quite confident that me and other citizens would in fact turn to light rail if there ever was one.
An incredible system. Just needs to be extended further east into Barking, Dagenham and Havering (potentially the estuary area of South Essex).
It’s the most well kept train in London I’d say. Also have some funny dudes working the announcement speakers sometimes.
Happy 30th birthday
Why did they put Island Gardens in the wrong place on that map? - the original station was the southern terminus.
I was wondering that too ... I was living 100 metres away from IG when the DLR opened
Same with bank and tower gateway
Hi, as someone that catches the DLR everyday I am aware of Island Gardens location (as it says in the commentary). Unfortunately during the edit the river moved and it wasn't picked up. Hope you enjoyed the video anyway!
Hi, although Island Gardens is defo in the wrong place on the map. The arrangement of Bank and Tower Gateway follows TFL's example - londonmap360.com/carte/image/en/dlr-map.jpg
Really Interesting videos
Can honestly say I lived in Lewisham for a cuple years before I moved back Ireland, and I used DLR every day and numerous times a day and never once did I have a ticket and the inspectors didn't care they were a cool bunch of people
Great video! 👏👏👏
Love the DLR so airy and great view out the front- such good childhood memories
It is the best thing that came to my old manor si handy to get from a to b
Worked on track laying for grant Lyon at the delta when this was first built.
lol, we still call it the delta even though Westferry 1 to Poplar 1 has been rerouted and that area is no longer a delta.
It still makes more sense than it's actual name of North Quay Junction that isn't North.
I just LOVE this channel as it's simply brilliant! Always wonderful educational content, thank you from a proud subscriber from NYC where transportation isn't an issue at all since the subway and buses run 24/7. I've heard light chatter about reviving trolley service via light rail in some areas (Brooklyn & Queens) but I'm not sure just how seriously that's being considered. Thanks again for your fine channel.
Yesterday I used the DLR to West India Quay station to visit the Museum of London Docklands.
A very interesting program, thanks.😃👌👏👏👏
It would be cool to see it expand even further across London
4:25 Ironic. By today, and even by some extension back then, the Network in Essen where the old Dockland trains are now operating is also a light rail network with many (but still by far not all) stations are also underground. Actually, the "real" tram lines in Essen use small (1000mm) gauge trains, which actually also serve some underground stations, and the light rail with both underground and overground sections (only mostly seperated from road traffic to be fair) use standard (1435mm) gauge trains, like the Docklands trains. Their light rail and underground tram system actually dates back further than the DLR.
I love the DLR!
Good stuff mr hazzard
FYI your map is wrong, Island Gardens is north of the river. 👍
Would you guys consider having a look at Manchester Metrolink as well, with the Trafford Park extension opening.
I have worked there nearly 20 years and I found this video fascinating.
The original North route didn't have Langdon Park (originally was going to be called Carmen Street) or Pudding Mill Lane. These were added later although the sites had been set up for stations from the outset.
There is an earmarked piece of land between Canning Town 3 & 4 (upper) and West Silvertown for a station called Thames Wharf. They have been very patient with the construction as they have been waiting for the construction of a new Thames crossing in the area that this new station would service.
Sadly I don't think I'll see any more extension in the remaining years that I'm there.
It was crowded as hell coming back from London City Airport
wow, I wish Sydney had this foresight for our harbour and beyond. Maybe in 100 years...
This is how the DLR changed London Docklands. And the DLR will continue to expand with new trains to be built from CAF and future extension such as to Thamesmead and to Abbey Wood and a new station at Thames Wharf.
Both original and present-day Island Gardens stations are north of the river, but the map in this video shows it on the south side.
Hi Chris, as someone that catches the DLR everyday I am aware of Island Gardens location (as it says in the commentary). Unfortunately during the edit the river moved and it wasn't picked up. Hope you enjoyed the video anyway!
First went in the DLR back in 1991 with my mum dad and brothers
I used to commute from Tower Hill to Heron Quays shortly after it opened in the late 80s it was horribly unreliable but great when it was working.
At Heron Quays the stairs used to wobble as you descended to a derelict dust bowl. It is totally unrecognizable now and a big success 👍
Essen has trams, but the DLR stock run on an underground light railway (Stadtbahn) which is sort of half way between a tram system and a proper underground railway. A Stadtbahn can have level crossings, for instance, and run on streets for a part of the route. Mostly, a Stadtbahn will run on its own right of way and will have step-free access via platforms.
NEW TRAINS ARE BEING ORDERED
BAKEMONO it’s a shame. I hate that they are going to replace the B90 and B92 stocks. There at a young age.
I noticed they had Island Gardens on the wrong side of the river, and not included as part of the first 16 stations. The first Island Gardens station was built and opened in 1987.
I miss London ! Manchester needs to let me go . Lool
Nice
You have so many great photographs of interesting buildings and other construction, that it would seem to be very natural for you to create or contribute to computer screen savers such as those for Microsoft windows as a way to educate people about contemporary architecture as well as to advertise your channel on RUclips.
Nice idea!
When are they going to extend it to North Greenwich, it's so clean and safe, plus comfortable(kinda)
thatamerican550 Doubt it, it would be an awkward diversion of the route and is already served by the Jubilee line
thatamerican550 North Greenwich got the underground tho
@@agent_605 No they really need a mass transit route between Cutty Sark and North Greenwich, try taking a bus! The road is ridiculously congested.
Singapore mrt
Docklands light railway
Vancouver skytrain
All of them opened in 1987...damnn
0:24 In Germany,Essen We have this trains for underground but with driver seat
He mentioned that later on
They could extend the line to north Greenwich
stuart balchin Given that the Jubilee goes there from Canary Wharf and Canning Town, I don't think that's too pressing.
+naijiktom yea but it will help the people traffic from the O2
I think you forgot about buses.
+*****'SoExtra there's only one bus goes to Central London aunty rest go to woolwich and Thamesmead
So why extend it when you have the Jubilee line?
Omg I used to live in Island Gardens which is a DLR station and commute to Canary Wharf I prefer it thousand times more than the underground
There's talk of expansion from Gallions Reach south across the Thames into the underserved area of Thamesmead before possibly heading further east and south.
And I completely miss it each time I go to London. Go figure.
London's new Nine Elms district: ruclips.net/video/kCvZ9a-yWzk/видео.html
Good to know that the old DLR trains that were sold to Essen didn't meet safety standards to be used in tunnels. Which is exactly where these trains ended up being used in Essen.
the reality is that a lot of fare evasion goes on because stations are unstaffed and there are no Gates...
Same can be said for that southeastern Kent line too. Those trains are atrocious
Maybe so but don’t the PSAs check tickets? At least in the days where I used the DLR with any frequency that’s what usually happened.
LightbulbTedbear2: I’m using the term very loosely (to include Oyster and now Contactless). Last time I used the DLR with any real frequency, there were actual paper tickets...
Best railway in the whole world
I hope they do extend to Thamesmead because Thamesmed has no train stations.. They should also extend Riverboats to Kew Gardens and thamesmead
Best in the World
The DLR is now about the same size as BART here in the USA.
Can you do a video on The Tyne and Wear Metro :)
I think i Would Be interesting to Know how much more or less the DLR Cost in comparison to a monorail System the Same length over the 30 years.
2:18 Terminus North Greenwich respectively Island Gardens is missing …
Very interesting video. I'm curious about what, if any friction there is between the DLR and the Underground.
Nope.
They're both owned by Transport for London.
The map at 0:41 is not accurate, even accounting for the topographical rather than geographical nature of it. Island Gardens was the original southern terminus of the DLR, it is located just north of the river Thames not just south. The original Island Gardens station was located on a brick arch viaduct terminating just short of the river. It was resighted into a subsurface design to allow for the extension south of the river to Greenwich and Lewisham
Hi! Yes totally correct (as we say in the video). Unfortunately the river moved within the edit when we were making the graphic and I didn't spot. Hope you enjoyed the rest of the video. t
Enjoyed ALL your video. I now live overseas. Mudchute to Bank was my daily journey. I've slowed down all the POV sections of your vid to reminisce: it has changed sooo much since 2003!
Woolwich Arsenal is also slightly askew; it's southeast of King George V rather than southwest as shown on the map in the video.
Your graphic ignores that Island Gardens was part of the original network (graphic shows it ending at Mudchute).
The station moved underground when the DLR went under the river, but your graphic is then showing it on the wrong side of the river.
The map is a bit wrong, the old Lewisham branch terminus was Island Gardens.
Personally I like to take the connection from Mudchute, through the back concourse at the rear of the complex