New DLR timetable starts next week promising quicker, easier and more comfortable journeys

23 September 2022
More frequent services will run later in the evening and at the weekend
"This is the first phase of improvements to ensure customers get the best possible service from the DLR and are able to experience more of what London has to offer whether commuting, visiting family and friends or enjoying one of the many leisure activities the capital has to offer."
Tom Page
TfL's General Manager for the DLR
  • Reduced waiting times for all services meaning faster and easier journeys
  • Better connections with Elizabeth line services for easier interchange

Customers will benefit from quicker, easier and more comfortable journeys across the DLR network from next week (Monday 26 September) with the introduction of a new timetable.  The changes will help people access housing, employment and leisure opportunities more easily across east London and the Docklands. 

Since the opening of the Elizabeth line in May, and with people travelling to the office and leisure activities more frequently, the way customers use the DLR has changed. The new timetable will help ensure there are more trains available where and when people need them.   

The new timetable will mean more frequent services will run for longer in the evening and on weekends, supporting an increase in leisure travel. The changes also help minimise interchange waiting times with the Elizabeth line at Canary Wharf, Custom House and Stratford stations - making journeys across the city even quicker. With the integration of Elizabeth line services being implemented from Sunday 6 November, DLR customers will be only one change away from key destinations in the capital such as the West End and Heathrow Airport. 

All DLR routes will benefit from more frequent services at certain times, helping to reduce waiting times and minimise crowding, especially at the busiest times. 

The main changes include: 

Stratford to Canary Wharf 

  • Weekday peak - services will run every 4 minutes rather than the current 6-7 minutes
  • Daytime and early evening - services will run every 5 minutes rather than every 10 minutes 

Stratford to Lewisham via Canary Wharf 

  • Weekday morning peak - every other train from Stratford will continue to Lewisham providing a service every 2-4 minutes between Canary Wharf and Lewisham.

Canning Town to Beckton 

  • The Canning Town to Beckton shuttle is being reintroduced during the off-peak and being introduced for the first time during the peak. The shuttle will complement existing services meaning a service will operate on the route every 4 minutes during the morning and evening weekday peaks, currently every 8 minutes, and every 5 minutes during off-peak daytimes throughout the week, instead of every 10 minutes.  

Improved services in the evening and at weekends 

  • The timetable change will mean more frequent services will run for longer in the evening and on weekends. For example, on weekday evenings, Bank to Lewisham services will run every 5 minutes rather than every 10 minutes.

Tom Page, TfL's General Manager for the DLR, said: "Improvements we are making to the DLR timetable from next week will help customers complete their journeys more quickly and easily. This is the first phase of improvements to ensure customers get the best possible service from the DLR and are able to experience more of what London has to offer whether commuting, visiting family and friends or enjoying one of the many leisure activities the capital has to offer.

"It is fantastic to see customers regularly using the DLR again and we want to make sure the timetable provides the best possible service. The changes will help our customers complete their journeys more quickly and easily." 

Further improvements will be made across the DLR network including modern, walk-through, air-conditioned trains, which are due to enter service from 2024. These will provide further significant improvements to waiting times, crowding and customer experience, as well as supporting housing growth and economic redevelopment across the Docklands and east London. 

Customers can plan journeys ahead of these changes by using the TfL Go app or TfL Journey Planner. 

Notes to editors

  • The timetable change will mean most routes will have no change to train length or shorter trains but more frequent services, giving either the same or an increase in overall capacity. 
  • TfL will monitor the impact of these changes, including by reviewing customer and staff feedback, to ensure it is delivering as intended for our customers.
  • This change is being delivered by redistributing existing resources to better support how customers use the DLR - particularly now the Elizabeth line has opened. 
  • From Sunday 6 November, Elizabeth line services from Reading, Heathrow, and Shenfield will connect with the central tunnels of the railway - opening up new direct journeys across the capital. This means that customers travelling from Reading and Heathrow will be able to travel east all the way to Canary Wharf, Custom House and Abbey Wood without changing at Paddington. Customers travelling from Shenfield will be able to travel west all the way to Paddington without changing at Liverpool Street. Journeys to onward destinations, including to Heathrow Airport or towards Reading, can be made by changing trains on the same platform at any of the central London stations.