Docklands Light Railway

A very efficient service. Very good for enjoying the sites while you travel.

A very efficient public transport service, however when they are not running they can literally cripple your day. thank God it doesn’t happen very often!

I think DLR is great. Always on time and the services are regular. I often travel from Woolwich to Tower Gateway, changing at Canning Town. The best bit about getting on at Woolwich or Tower Gateay is that, as they are the starting stations, you always get a seat. I would say though that if there is a problem and you have to get off the train, you have no option but to wait for another DLR service as, unless you are at Canning town, there are not other means of transport that are easily accessible. Saying that though, the DLR is very dependable. Great views. it is true what other reviewers have said about wanting the seat at the front so you can pretend to be driving the train yourself or staning on the bits between the carriages and you go round corners — great fun :)
Also, I just thought, it is great for the City of London airport — so easy — you can get off the train and be in the airport in just a few minutes but that is the joy of having a smallish airport.

Wir fuhren mit der Docklands Light Railway von Cutty Sark Station in Greenwich bis zur Endstation Lewisham. Dies waren insgesamt vier Stationen. Wir bezahlten für die einfache Fahrt pro Person GBP 1,60.
Die Bahn erinnerte mich an die Berliner S-​Bahn. Ich fand es gruselig, dass sie im Automatik-​Verkehr fährt, d.h. es ist kein Fahrer im Zug. Den Londonern gefiel dies wohl auch nicht, und daher begleitet immer ein Mitarbeiter den Zug. Ich beobachtete, wie er an jedem Bahnhof schaute, ob noch jemand einsteigt, und dann den Zug in Bewegung setzte, indem er einen Schlüssel in einem Schloss drehte. Soviel zum Einsparen von Personal.
Unsere Bahn bestand aus insgesamt vier Wagen; zwei zweiteilige Gelenkwagen. Die Bahn ist behindertenfreundlich. Viele Stationen liegen ebenerdig.
Die Bahn fährt häufig; Sonntagabends alle fünf Minuten. Sie ist ein sicheres Verkehrsmittel, da Personal mitfährt. Am Wagenende haben wir einen Behelfsführerstand entdeckt, mit dem der Zug bei Bedarf von Hand gefahren werden kann.

I love the DLR, as far as public transport is concerned it’s just about the best on offer. Clean, efficient and punctual. what more could you want from a service. Always a pleasure to use it.

In contrast to a lot of the public transport system, the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) offers a modern and comfortable way to travel around South and East London.
The trains are well maintained and usually clean, and mostly run on time which is a bonus! Being outside, unlike the tube, you get great views across the surrounding landscapes including the Olympics site, Canary Wharf and the Millenium Dome.
The staff are generally friendly and helpful, and the ride is usually quick, smooth and peaceful.
Journeys are cheap in comparison to other transport, and even cheaper with Oyster — but with no entry and exit gates like the majority of tubes you do need to remember to touch in and out or you can end up paying a lot more than you needed to!

The docklands light railway often gets a bad press by other Londoners. But that just because they dont understand it. I get it into work everyday and it is like getting on a train from the future. The best bit of the trains are that they are almost always on time and very clean.
If you’re lucky and you get a seat at the front of the train it is almost as if you are driving the train yourself. And when you head into the tunnel at bank station it is as if your in a computer game. For getting around the south of London, the DLR is always a safe bet as they have staff on both the platfoms and every train.

If you’re travelling in London you should definitely give the DLR a try. Spacious and comfortable trains, and deceptively fast at getting you where you want to go, the DLR is my favourite mode of transport in London.
It serves quite a few different areas now, from the Central areas of Canary Wharf, out to the Cutty Sark and Greenwich in one direction and Stratford in the other. You can even get to City Airport now too.
If you’re young at heart one of the best things about the DLR is sitting right at the front and pretending you’re the driver. The trains are operated automatically so there is no actual ‘driver’ on board.
Probably the best thing about the DLR is its reliability though. Using the trains, buses and particularly the tube can be incredibly frustrating and can take you much longer than you might think due to frequent delays, but in all my years of using the DLR I’ve only experienced one delay. The DLR is a wonderful and comfortable way of getting where you need to go quickly and takes you to some must-​see places of London which it would be very difficult to get to otherwise.

I remember the DLR very well from my childhood. The most exciting thing about it was that you could sit at the front of the train and drive it (in your mind at least) and even now I see the yuppies fighting over who is the driver during the rush hour.
It is an excellent addition to the London travel network at a time when the needs of E london were not very well catered for. If you lived on the isle of dogs, this line has certainly made life easier
However, the line itself is quite flimsy, the trains are small and I believe that it is now being over-​loaded after the massive explosion of housing in Canary wharf especially.
Hope the new East london line extension will ease the burder for the DLR.

The Dockalnds Light Railway is so amazing and intruiging! There is something so fascinating about sitting at the front! It is particularly good if you ride around canary wharf and the surrounding areas– what an amazing view. The stops are fairly short and it can obviously be busy at rush hour times. It gives a nice change from the Tube — even if you are just going for a ride! Kids will love it too — especially when they try and figure out why there is no driver. They have some new and improved trains running now which are nice and clean.

There’s something akin to being on a large train set about using the Docklands Light Railway (or DLR). Running from the City (Bank/​Tower Gateway) out to Lewisham, Stratford, Beckton, and King George V, this remarkably handy transport link will also take you cheaply and conveniently out to London City Airport, and through to Canary Wharf — even though I use the DLR frequently, and come into that station often, I’m still awestruck by the line seemingly going through the buildings, and am reminded of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis.
Fares are cheap, although if you’re tempted not to swipe in and out at the Oyster barriers, be aware that your card will get checked on at least one journey in five on average.
Recent engineering works can only improve the already impressive DLR reliability, although I’m already concerned about how this grown up train set will cope with increased traffic to Stratford in 2012.

Brilliant transport mode! Loved seating right at the front! =D

By far my favorite mode of transport within London, newer, better ventilation and more comfortable seats. Is really the main connection throughout East London.
For anyone planning to take it soon, beware they are carrying out maintenance work on a segment of the DLR every week so check before planning a journey into the area. Would definitely echo the thoughts of another poster on the penalty fare possible if you forget to swipe out, especially as the machines on some stations are far from being in prominent positions.

i thought i’d give this a review– after all, the majority of us use it at least twice a month. From a personal point of view i think the service is excellent. as always staff and how they repsond is crucial to a review– and those who work on the DLR can be proud of the fact you will never recieve a bad wrod from them. as for puncuality, well, they could certainly give london transport a run for their money. on the very few ocassions that a train is faulty, there is always another at the next station. i look forward to the completion of the upgrades taking place, especially at tower gateway– one of the first and original routes.

I always sit at the front when ever i can!
i love the DLR especially standing in the middle bit when it goes around the corners!
This is my main travel and i still always gaze out the window!
amazing views of the river the O2 and canary wharf!
if you have not been on it its a must!
You know who DLR travellers are because we tend to try and press the open button on tubes!
haha

I will admit that travelling on the DLR brings out the inner child in me. No-​one freely admits it but we all want that hotseat at the front of the train as it feels like we’re driving it. Talking of which, I was a little freaked out at the thought of having no driver and armed with the knowledge that it’s all computer generated. Having said that, it works like clockwork. Even if you haven’t got a particular intended destination, I would recommend hopping on the DLR from Bank which is the beginning of the line and taking what feels like a gentle rollercoaster ride along it’s open air tracks. The views are magnificient when you reach the Docklands area with towering, glass buildings on every side, giving it a New York feel and the river and pedestrianised areas with cafes and restaurants constantly popping up. Stop off at any station and you will be rewarded with magnificient sights, shops and a tranquil feel in a modern city.

I love the Docklands Light Railway! In spite of its name (often abbreviated to DLR) this network of railway lines is pretty much part of the tube network. If you can, get a seat up front, as they have windows facing forwards. Pulling out of central London you get to see views of the tunnels you never get on the regular tube. Once out of there the railway goes over ground, and the train swoops and swerves its way along raised rails through Dockland. It’s rather like a kiddy roller coaster and sort of fun. Depending on the branch you take, you get some great views of East London, including the Millennium Dome and Canary Warf.
You can save money on tube fairs by using an Oyster card. But watch you remember to swipe in and out: many of the stations on this line don’t have barriers, so it’s easy to forget and end up being charged a penalty fare.
You can find out more about the DLR at