DLR B23 Stock (CAF Inneo)

[DLRnotDave]

Testing should be resuming during some of the closures next month, reintroduction still looks unlikely to be before the second half of the year

 

[Geogregor]

reintroduction still looks unlikely to be before the second half of the year

What a fiasco the whole process is...

 

[DGP]

Testing should be resuming during some of the closures next month, reintroduction still looks unlikely to be before the second half of the year

And yet TfL seem pretty relaxed about running 3-car trains on the Bank-Lewisham service. My daily walk on the Isle of Dogs, including weekends, follows the course of the DLR between Crossharbour and Canary Wharf. During that walk I see 6 to 8 trains (and I'm confident I'm not counting the same train twice), all of which have so far been 3-car trains.

 

[JCO1406]

Testing should be resuming during some of the closures next month, reintroduction still looks unlikely to be before the second half of the year

Any idea if testing will restart on the Beckton - Stratford International route?

 

[CarrotPie]

And yet TfL seem pretty relaxed about running 3-car trains on the Bank-Lewisham service. My daily walk on the Isle of Dogs, including weekends, follows the course of the DLR between Crossharbour and Canary Wharf. During that walk I see 6 to 8 trains (and I'm confident I'm not counting the same train twice), all of which have so far been 3-car trains.

Should they not be relaxed about running 3-car trains, or is there something I'm missing here?

 

[Snow1964]

Should they not be relaxed about running 3-car trains, or is there something I'm missing here?

A number of trains are due to be replaced, but technical problems have delayed the new trains.

The operator didn't want to do major maintenance / overhauls on fleet being withdrawn so wanted to restrict distance ran each day by keeping some parked when they were approaching maintenance interval.

However, depending on source, new trains are likely to be anything upto about 18 months late in service, so likely will have to spend money maintaining existing fleet. Negligible info is available in public, on timescale, or potential extra cost.

 

[Redistou]

DLR Lewisham to Bank was down to 2 cars this morning. And its not xmas neither so it was busy. Reading through the above it looks very likely Lewisham <> stratford will be suspended at least a year. And now short trains?

 

[ScotGG]

Was it across multiple services?

 

[Redistou]

Hi, yes reasonable question and tbh I don't know as I didn't see any other services on my one-stop river crossing freebie, but I got a TFL email this morning announcing 2 car services from the 16th-19th. So maybe for me xmas came early. Or half-term anyway.

 

[DGP]

Hi, yes reasonable question and tbh I don't know as I didn't see any other services on my one-stop river crossing freebie, but I got a TFL email this morning announcing 2 car services from the 16th-19th. So maybe for me xmas came early. Or half-term anyway.

As far as I could see, 2-car trains restarted on the Bank-Lewisham service on Sunday 8th and all the ones I saw or have been on this morning are 2-car. I also got that e-mail about 2-car services next week, the school holidays, but nothing about why they've done that this week

 

[Taunton]

Announcement that Bank to Lewisham will be down to 2-car weekdays next week 16 February:

MSN

No sign of any activity with the new trains since their withdrawal last autumn. Have any of them turned a wheel? One really has to wonder if DLR just don't know what to do/have given up. Any questions about this at the London Assembly are just glossed over with "New Trains ... rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb ... next question?". Have the engineers involved quit for different opportunities?

Regarding cutting down to 2-car outside travel peaks, I understood one of the issues with the current fleet is wear on the couplers due to uncoupling and joining, maybe they have a supply issue with overhauling them, so possibly a need to minimise the number of coupling-ups made.

 

[DGP]

Regarding cutting down to 2-car outside travel peaks, I understood one of the issues with the current fleet is wear on the couplers due to uncoupling and joining, maybe they have a supply issue with overhauling them, so possibly a need to minimise the number of coupling-ups made.

Not sure what you mean here. DLR trains are never (and I think can never) be coupled/uncoupled outside of the Depots so have to remain 3-car (or 2-car) trains for the entire day.

And although I only saw 2-car trains on the Bank-Lewisham service on Sunday 8th and Monday 9th February, I've only seen 3-car trains since then.

 

[JCO1406]

Announcement that Bank to Lewisham will be down to 2-car weekdays next week 16 February:

MSN

No sign of any activity with the new trains since their withdrawal last autumn. Have any of them turned a wheel? One really has to wonder if DLR just don't know what to do/have given up. Any questions about this at the London Assembly are just glossed over with "New Trains ... rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb ... next question?". Have the engineers involved quit for different opportunities?

Regarding cutting down to 2-car outside travel peaks, I understood one of the issues with the current fleet is wear on the couplers due to uncoupling and joining, maybe they have a supply issue with overhauling them, so possibly a need to minimise the number of coupling-ups made.

post #1051 said that testing is to resume soon, we’ll see.

 

[CarrotPie]

No sign of any activity with the new trains since their withdrawal last autumn. Have any of them turned a wheel? One really has to wonder if DLR just don't know what to do/have given up.

I mean, they were built by CAF, so I really don't know what people expected. An increase in the sales of sellotape, maybe?

Any questions about this at the London Assembly are just glossed over with "New Trains ... rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb ... next question?".

Rhubarb?

Not sure what you mean here. DLR trains are never (and I think can never) be coupled/uncoupled outside of the Depots so have to remain 3-car (or 2-car) trains for the entire day.

Well, cars will need to be uncoupled from their partner(s) for things like maintenance and overhaul and then recoupled. A 3-car unit has 4 couplers in use, while a 2-car unit only has 2 couplers in use, so it stands to reason that reducing the length of the trains will probably reduce the amount of coupling required by a not insignificant amount.

However, a not insignificant amount of a small number is still a small number, and I'm not saying that that's why they've shortened the trains.

 

[Russel]

Announcement that Bank to Lewisham will be down to 2-car weekdays next week 16 February:

MSN

No sign of any activity with the new trains since their withdrawal last autumn. Have any of them turned a wheel? One really has to wonder if DLR just don't know what to do/have given up. Any questions about this at the London Assembly are just glossed over with "New Trains ... rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb ... next question?". Have the engineers involved quit for different opportunities?

Regarding cutting down to 2-car outside travel peaks, I understood one of the issues with the current fleet is wear on the couplers due to uncoupling and joining, maybe they have a supply issue with overhauling them, so possibly a need to minimise the number of coupling-ups made.

What an absolute shambles.

I don't remember many notable issues when the B07 stock was introduced...

 

[torontoaddick]

No sign of any activity with the new trains since their withdrawal last autumn. Have any of them turned a wheel?

B23 trains have been out for testing on the mainline during engineering hours over the past couple of weeks.

 

[Taunton]

Not sure what you mean here. DLR trains are never (and I think can never) be coupled/uncoupled outside of the Depots so have to remain 3-car (or 2-car) trains for the entire day.

The comment was about weekends, and I was referring to minimising uncoupling overall.

 

[JCO1406]

B23 trains have been out for testing on the mainline during engineering hours over the past couple of weeks.

They have? Would’ve thought to have seen one go right past my window as they come out and go back into the Beckton Depot. Unless those moves are done at like 3am…

 

[DLRnotDave]

As far as I could see, 2-car trains restarted on the Bank-Lewisham service on Sunday 8th and all the ones I saw or have been on this morning are 2-car. I also got that e-mail about 2-car services next week, the school holidays, but nothing about why they've done that this week

The 2-car running on the Bank-Lewisham route on Sunday/Monday was because of an issue in Poplar depot messing with the morning runout.

 

[torontoaddick]

They have? Would’ve thought to have seen one go right past my window as they come out and go back into the Beckton Depot. Unless those moves are done at like 3am…

They've definitely been out testing. First one since the fleet withdrawal was out on the night of 24/25 Jan. More nights since then.

 

[Mikey C]

Announcement that Bank to Lewisham will be down to 2-car weekdays next week 16 February:

MSN

No sign of any activity with the new trains since their withdrawal last autumn. Have any of them turned a wheel? One really has to wonder if DLR just don't know what to do/have given up. Any questions about this at the London Assembly are just glossed over with "New Trains ... rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb ... next question?". Have the engineers involved quit for different opportunities?

Regarding cutting down to 2-car outside travel peaks, I understood one of the issues with the current fleet is wear on the couplers due to uncoupling and joining, maybe they have a supply issue with overhauling them, so possibly a need to minimise the number of coupling-ups made.

I assume the Mayor isn't trying to take "credit" for this

 

[tom1996]

Why do the B07 trains need to be reduced to 2 cars? Surely the issue with the mileage is limited to the stock planning to be withdrawn so it’d be better to have the trains staying 3 cars?

 

[py_megapixel]

Why do the B07 trains need to be reduced to 2 cars? Surely the issue with the mileage is limited to the stock planning to be withdrawn so it’d be better to have the trains staying 3 cars?

Presumably because the B07 sets released by doing this are, or soon will be, needed to cover for B90 sets that have already run out their allowed mileage?

 

[Redistou]

The 2-car running on the Bank-Lewisham route on Sunday/Monday was because of an issue in Poplar depot messing with the morning runout.

And to add to the exciting plot twists, DLR seems to be running normal 3 car trains this week, despite saying it would be 2 car. Again, this is from a sample pool of one.

 

[DGP]

And to add to the exciting plot twists, DLR seems to be running normal 3 car trains this week, despite saying it would be 2 car. Again, this is from a sample pool of one.

Indeed. *MOST* of the Bank-Lewisham trains I've seen so far this week have been 3-cars but I have spotted a couple of 2-car trains. And some of the 3-car trains have been B90/B92 stock. As a data-cruncher, I'd really like to know how many km per day these units travel, how many total km they have accumulated since their last major overhaul and what their "drop dead" limit is before they have to be taken out of service for their next service or be withdrawn.

 

[Redistou]

I was mulling over whether to mention it but the last time I got on the DLR island gardens > greenwich the ride was incredibly, uncomfortably bouncy. I mean it really felt as if we were about to leave the track. No one pulled a face but if it was a car I would have said the springs were shot. Is this the kind of thing you get from a worn out train. Because if you do it was worn out!

 

[Snow1964]

Ahead of next weeks TfL Board Programmes and Investment Committee meeting, papers have been released.

This summary page includes a statement that all 54 trains have now been manufactured by CAF

https://board.tfl.gov.uk/documents/s25978/pic-20260305-item05b-part1-Investment-Programme-Report-Q3-Appendix-1.pdf

However the pack shows the DLR rolling stock replacement update as agenda item 9, but instead of the update, it says the papers for this item are to follow, so clearly not only are the trains late, the admin team has missed date too

Agenda for Programmes and Investment Committee on Thursday 5 March 2026, 10:00 - Modern Council

board.tfl.gov.uk

 

[Thirteen]

If all 54 trains have been manufactured then in theory, we could see a pretty swift reintroduction once they are certified to be safe.

 

[Mattplans]

New DLR trains returning to customer service by late summer​

• Customers will see the new DLR trains back in service by this summer, following strong progress in investigation, testing and assurance work
• CAF and TfL engineers are introducing a series of improvements to make sure the trains return safely and reliably
• The new fleet will transform journeys with walk-through carriages, air-conditioning and more capacity

DLR customers will benefit from the return of the network’s new trains, with a phased reintroduction expected by late summer. This follows significant progress by engineering teams in carrying out detailed investigations, testing, and assurance to ensure the fleet is ready to enter to service safely and reliably. Further detail of the reintroduction will be provided in spring.

In late 2025, a train stopped past its intended stopping point - the only time this occurred after the new trains were introduced - but safety is TfL’s number one priority, so all three new trains were withdrawn as a precautionary measure. TfL has since been working closely with CAF, the manufacturer, to identify the root cause and safely and reliably reintroduce the new trains.

To support the safe return of the trains, engineers are introducing a focused package of improvements - including braking software upgrades to improve performance in the type of specific low rail adhesion conditions experienced during the incident. These are currently being tested on the manufacturer’s test track before further testing on the DLR network. Some network closures will be needed to facilitate this testing, so it is recommended customer check before they travel by using the TfL Go app or Journey Planner on the TfL website.

Once fully rolled out, the new fleet will replace the oldest trains on the DLR and boost overall capacity by more than 50 per cent. Customers will benefit from modern walkthrough carriages, air-conditioning, improved accessibility, real time travel information and enhanced safety features, all designed to make journeys more comfortable, easier and more reliable.

Stuart Harvey, TfL’s Chief Capital Officer, said: “We know customers are looking forward to travelling on these new trains, and we will provide a further update in the spring, with the trains being reintroduced by summer. Our engineers, together with CAF and our franchisee KeolisAmey Docklands, have worked tirelessly to ensure they return safely and reliably. We are confident customers will welcome the extra space, improved accessibility, real‑time travel information and air‑conditioning these trains provide.”

More information on improvements across the DLR network is available at:
https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/dlr/improving-the-dlr

 

[Snow1964]

The TfL Board committee paper of DLR is now published (agenda item 9), the update also includes Piccadilly line as agenda item 8

https://board.tfl.gov.uk/documents/b3723/Supplementary%20Agenda%20Thursday%2005-Mar-2026%2010.00%20Programmes%20and%20Investment%20Committee.pdf?T=9

Part 5.3 says aims to to to reintroduce into service between May and Sept 2026

Part 5.4 suggests depending on timeline for introduction, might have to be more cuts to existing trains (shorter)

Part 6.5 suggests costs to fix legacy signalling issues are ongoing (and under separate funding authority)