New DLR trains arrive - passengers can still pretend to be the driver! - video Dailymotion

Evening Standard

The first of a fleet of new DLR trains entered service on Wednesday – about 18 months behind schedule.They have air conditioning, walk-through carriages, smartphone charging points and - crucially - seats at the front where passengers can pretend to drive the train, retaining one of the most popular features of the old trains.

Transcript

00:00It's been a long wait, but it's finally here. The new DLR trains have arrived.

00:06So I'm on board the brand new DLR train. What's it like? Well, it feels bigger and it certainly feels airier than the existing fleet.

00:14It's walk-through. It feels really quite bright, smooth, and there we are, look away down there.

00:21I think many Londoners are really going to like these.

00:24I'm so excited. I mean, even you're smiling at being on this wonderful new train.

00:29I mean, they are remarkable. Look, I mean, what it means is you can see from the front to the back, walk-through.

00:34It increases the capacity of each train by about 10% overall, the DLR by more than 50% digital screens.

00:41You can charge your phone. If you're in a wheelchair or a buggy, more space for you.

00:46The real win for us, though, is it increases frequency, increases reliability, but also it's the potential now for us to build a new home

00:55because you'll have more people able to get around this part of the city, the east and the south on the DLR.

01:02Now, 54 of these new trains are due to come on stream in the next year and a half.

01:08They've been built in Spain, and unlike the previous models, they have air conditioning under walk-through,

01:14which means about 50% increase in capacity.

01:16So it'll take us the next 12 to 18 months for the last train to be introduced,

01:22but the old fleet of trains will all have gone by the end of 2026,

01:27and initially it's going to be one new train every week for the next couple of months or so.

01:33So the customers are going to start to see them pretty regularly across the network,

01:37and it's going to be a real benefit for them.

01:39Now, this is a project that has gone over time and over budget.

01:43It's about 18 months late, and it's costing about £60 million more than expected,

01:49well in excess of £900 million.

01:51Will there be value for money?

01:53Well, I think many Londoners will be delighted to get on board

01:56and see the transformation and the difference between this new train

02:00and the existing fleet of DLR trains that are now more than 30 years old.

02:04But the big question that all passengers will want answered is,

02:08can you sit in the front seat?

02:10Well, the answer is yes, you can still sit in the front and pretend to drive the DLR.

02:15Here's a new front seat.

02:16It's a double seat.

02:17There's one just opposite on the other side of the carriage as well.

02:20So these are going to be the most prized possessions in the entire London transport network.

02:26Get on the new DLR, get in the front seat, and you're the driver.

New DLR trains arrive - passengers can still pretend to be the driver!

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