Transport for London has temporarily withdrawn its new B23 Docklands Light Railway trains from service as a precautionary measure after an isolated braking performance issue during wet weather on one train.
Safety remains TfL’s top priority, and although the incident involved only a single train, all three new trains have been removed from customer service while investigations take place. The issue occurred when a train failed to stop in the planned position at a platform due to low adhesion caused by wet conditions. TfL confirmed this is not an issue with the existing fleet.
Engineering teams from TfL, KeolisAmey Docklands (DLR operator), and CAF (train manufacturer) are working together to identify the root cause and implement solutions. Until investigations are complete, it is not possible to confirm when the new trains will return to service.
Once reintroduced, the B23 trains will deliver significant benefits for passengers, including:
- Greater capacity for growing demand.
- Improved accessibility features.
- Air-conditioning for enhanced comfort.
- Modern passenger information systems.
Chief Capital Officer at TfL, Stuart Harvey, said:
“I’m sorry that we’ve had to withdraw the new DLR trains from service, but safety is always our top priority and we need to understand what happened before returning them to service. Introducing new trains is never without challenges and until our engineering teams complete their investigations, we will continue to operate DLR services using our existing fleet. I know customers are keen to see these new trains on the network, but we must get this right to deliver the safe reliable service that Londoners expect.”
TfL confirmed that service levels remain unchanged, and customer journeys are unaffected. A review will follow to determine whether this impacts the overall delivery timescale for the project.
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