This is great! I was a child when it opened and it seemed so exciting. We came down from Essex on one of our occasional trips to London and, of course, we had to go on the Docklands railway. It must've only been a couple of years after it'd opened. I don't think we were actually travelling anywhere specific, we just wanted to go on it! I remember going past flats that had been built in converted Victorian warehouses and peering through the windows when we went by.
Trains like that still seem futuristic. To me, anyway. There's a monorail at Birmingham airport which takes you from the train station to the terminal, and I think it was built around the same time as Docklands. There was a real "thing" for light railways like that back then.
The economic impact of Docklands is so important to note, especially for any governments wobbling about public transport initiatives.
Thanks for the memories, Helen. I didn't use it until 1998, but it was pretty much the first thing I did when I came to stay in London. It was the DLR journey from Tower Gateway to Island Gardens, followed by the Greenwich foot tunnel, the climb up to Greenwich Observatory, and then a trek across Blackheath that made me fall in love with London... so many novel experiences in that one journey.
You've now stirred a memory by mentioning the Greenwich foot tunnel, because we went to the National Maritime Museum via the tunnel. So that must've been the same day and the same journey. It is amazing. I'm not surprised that made you fall in love with London!
This mirrors my memories of moving to London in 1990. I was also mainly a recreational user: the DLR seemed like a cross between a fairground ride and Blade Runner!
Great article - personal memoirs are so important because what we think of as recent history often isn’t all that recent like here and the clock is ticking to collect it. Sam’s final comment is very much the story of modern times. Have you heard of Jane Jacobs? She was an urban theorist whose ideas about a livable city with vibrant local neighbourhoods took issue with the car-based, highway and skyscraper plans of mid-century. She ideologically won that war, but the unexpected side effect being unending gentrification with the vibrant neighbourhoods now priced way beyond anything the people Jacobs was championing could afford.
Thanks Sanford. I know something of Jacobs' work; her name pops up here and there, though I have to admit I've never spent much time digging into her ideas. Thanks for putting her back on the radar.
Lovely article. Back in 1987 the DLR felt like something out of a sci-fi film, with these little driverless trains snaking over the weird urban dystopia of building sites and derelict docks. I remember my dad, who worked for London Transport, being very excited about it. And of course the best bit was to sit at the front and 'drive'.
In the 90s I lived in Greenwich and the quickest way onto the DLR before they extended under the river was to walk through the foot tunnel from the Cutty Sark to Island Gardens, which was a bit spooky.
I was going to be annoying and say that the Newcastle Metro (launched 1980) had the first driverless trains, then remembered that they weren't driverless, but the design meant you could sit next to the driver (who was in a sort of boxed off cubicle) so it felt as a kid like you were driving the train.
Haha, thanks Anna. I lived in Greenwich exactly as they were opening the DLR extension, so remember it both ways. We also got the Jubilee at the same time, so it felt like transport central (although the Jubilee was so far away that it might as well have been mythical).
Throughout the whole period of Docklands Development - from the 1970s and the Joint Committee - my employers produced a monthly information pack for local people. Every month one of our staff would write notes on progress with the DLR and also all the community meetings, and all the tech as well - all those notes will exist in an archive somewhere. At one point I went on a walk along the track bed of the new line from Tower Gateway to Island Gardens. Also - later of course - results of that bomb. There was a lot of criticism of its initial lack of interconnections with other transport modes - apparenently a Government decision. There were also a lot of noise issues on the section between Shadwell and Regent's Dock.
Absolutely loved this account, thanks Matt & Sam! As a Project Manager myself I did a very brief spell circa 15 years ago on one of the DLR platform extension & refurb projects at West India Quay. A few interesting months holed up in double-stacked contractor Porta-cabins alongside the tracks with a bunch of burly looking engineers, close to a junction where the constant high-pitched screeching of moving DLR car metal oftimes made it difficult to think! Not a jot on Sam’s fascinating & eyebrow-raising adventures.. a plane ride to Germany in an aircraft piloted by the Deputy Chair of the organisation😆 The good old days, doesn’t get more brilliant than that!
So many wonderful details here - loved the story of the corn growing on the tracks. There's a real magic to the DLR. I particularly enjoy the elevated section around West Silvertown and Pontoon Dock, which affords a much better view of this rapidly changing area than the one you get at ground level, where much seems to be hidden behind hoardings. The concrete structure looks so elegant from the street as well.
This is brilliant. Always loved driving the train and still rush to the front in the hope that I can. Went to a very wet Jean Michel Jarre concert when Docklands was still being bulldozed and the DLR yet to arrive!
I remember that, I was in my local pub on the route to the show, quite a few of the punters gave up the walk due to that torrential rain and took refuge in the pub, never had been so busy! The concert was in the Royal Victoria dock with images projected onto the Millenium Mills on the other side of the dock.
A great article, thank you. I travelled on it on the day it was opened to the public in august 1987. I remember crossing the huge expanses of open water, the curves on the track and the memorabilia shop at the Island Gardens terminus.
I moved to the Island in 1984 and watched the DLR being built. Started using it as soon as it opened, either from Westferry or Crossharbour. The only "incident" I remember happened at Tower Gateway and involved the Train Captain who, as he went to close the doors, dropped his "key" and it fell between the train and the platform onto the track. He had to make an emergency call to shut off the power (maybe to the whole system??) so that he could reach down an retrieve it. He was VERY embarrassed! Made hundreds of journeys on it...happy daze!
Memories of those unused viaducts when I was lodging as a youth in Stepney mid-1970's. As a 'person of railway lineage' I would imagine their restoration to traffic in some future raliway renaissance, never imagining its fulfillment.
This is great! I was a child when it opened and it seemed so exciting. We came down from Essex on one of our occasional trips to London and, of course, we had to go on the Docklands railway. It must've only been a couple of years after it'd opened. I don't think we were actually travelling anywhere specific, we just wanted to go on it! I remember going past flats that had been built in converted Victorian warehouses and peering through the windows when we went by.
Trains like that still seem futuristic. To me, anyway. There's a monorail at Birmingham airport which takes you from the train station to the terminal, and I think it was built around the same time as Docklands. There was a real "thing" for light railways like that back then.
The economic impact of Docklands is so important to note, especially for any governments wobbling about public transport initiatives.
Thanks for the memories, Helen. I didn't use it until 1998, but it was pretty much the first thing I did when I came to stay in London. It was the DLR journey from Tower Gateway to Island Gardens, followed by the Greenwich foot tunnel, the climb up to Greenwich Observatory, and then a trek across Blackheath that made me fall in love with London... so many novel experiences in that one journey.
Wow, yes, that's quite a journey!
You've now stirred a memory by mentioning the Greenwich foot tunnel, because we went to the National Maritime Museum via the tunnel. So that must've been the same day and the same journey. It is amazing. I'm not surprised that made you fall in love with London!
This mirrors my memories of moving to London in 1990. I was also mainly a recreational user: the DLR seemed like a cross between a fairground ride and Blade Runner!
Hahaha, it really is!
Thank you Matt and Sam for a great article and good luck with your book, Matt.
Great article - personal memoirs are so important because what we think of as recent history often isn’t all that recent like here and the clock is ticking to collect it. Sam’s final comment is very much the story of modern times. Have you heard of Jane Jacobs? She was an urban theorist whose ideas about a livable city with vibrant local neighbourhoods took issue with the car-based, highway and skyscraper plans of mid-century. She ideologically won that war, but the unexpected side effect being unending gentrification with the vibrant neighbourhoods now priced way beyond anything the people Jacobs was championing could afford.
Thanks Sanford. I know something of Jacobs' work; her name pops up here and there, though I have to admit I've never spent much time digging into her ideas. Thanks for putting her back on the radar.
There's a film that's well worth watching if you can find it, Citizen Jane https://tinyurl.com/3krt8vjt
Lovely article. Back in 1987 the DLR felt like something out of a sci-fi film, with these little driverless trains snaking over the weird urban dystopia of building sites and derelict docks. I remember my dad, who worked for London Transport, being very excited about it. And of course the best bit was to sit at the front and 'drive'.
In the 90s I lived in Greenwich and the quickest way onto the DLR before they extended under the river was to walk through the foot tunnel from the Cutty Sark to Island Gardens, which was a bit spooky.
I was going to be annoying and say that the Newcastle Metro (launched 1980) had the first driverless trains, then remembered that they weren't driverless, but the design meant you could sit next to the driver (who was in a sort of boxed off cubicle) so it felt as a kid like you were driving the train.
Haha, thanks Anna. I lived in Greenwich exactly as they were opening the DLR extension, so remember it both ways. We also got the Jubilee at the same time, so it felt like transport central (although the Jubilee was so far away that it might as well have been mythical).
I found a wordless music piece on You tube music by Enola called Docklands Light Railway. See if they captured the feeling of the DLR. : https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=SUVtSwWelmY&si=ACL7ECZJ6ctcVPCP
Throughout the whole period of Docklands Development - from the 1970s and the Joint Committee - my employers produced a monthly information pack for local people. Every month one of our staff would write notes on progress with the DLR and also all the community meetings, and all the tech as well - all those notes will exist in an archive somewhere. At one point I went on a walk along the track bed of the new line from Tower Gateway to Island Gardens. Also - later of course - results of that bomb. There was a lot of criticism of its initial lack of interconnections with other transport modes - apparenently a Government decision. There were also a lot of noise issues on the section between Shadwell and Regent's Dock.
Thanks for those recollections, Mary. That archive would be fascinating.
Great to hear an insider's story. Loved the revelations about the corn, sheep and peacocks!
1985- working in Southwark and driving into work through the Rotherhithe Tunnel. Used to watch the daily development of the line from
Pudding Mill Lane to All Saints. Interesting times.
I use the DLR every day, so this is especially fascinating for me.
Absolutely loved this account, thanks Matt & Sam! As a Project Manager myself I did a very brief spell circa 15 years ago on one of the DLR platform extension & refurb projects at West India Quay. A few interesting months holed up in double-stacked contractor Porta-cabins alongside the tracks with a bunch of burly looking engineers, close to a junction where the constant high-pitched screeching of moving DLR car metal oftimes made it difficult to think! Not a jot on Sam’s fascinating & eyebrow-raising adventures.. a plane ride to Germany in an aircraft piloted by the Deputy Chair of the organisation😆 The good old days, doesn’t get more brilliant than that!
So many wonderful details here - loved the story of the corn growing on the tracks. There's a real magic to the DLR. I particularly enjoy the elevated section around West Silvertown and Pontoon Dock, which affords a much better view of this rapidly changing area than the one you get at ground level, where much seems to be hidden behind hoardings. The concrete structure looks so elegant from the street as well.
Congratulations on the book! It looks so so interesting and I can’t wait to get to get my hands on a copy once it’s out 🥰
This is brilliant. Always loved driving the train and still rush to the front in the hope that I can. Went to a very wet Jean Michel Jarre concert when Docklands was still being bulldozed and the DLR yet to arrive!
I remember that, I was in my local pub on the route to the show, quite a few of the punters gave up the walk due to that torrential rain and took refuge in the pub, never had been so busy! The concert was in the Royal Victoria dock with images projected onto the Millenium Mills on the other side of the dock.
A great article, thank you. I travelled on it on the day it was opened to the public in august 1987. I remember crossing the huge expanses of open water, the curves on the track and the memorabilia shop at the Island Gardens terminus.
I moved to the Island in 1984 and watched the DLR being built. Started using it as soon as it opened, either from Westferry or Crossharbour. The only "incident" I remember happened at Tower Gateway and involved the Train Captain who, as he went to close the doors, dropped his "key" and it fell between the train and the platform onto the track. He had to make an emergency call to shut off the power (maybe to the whole system??) so that he could reach down an retrieve it. He was VERY embarrassed! Made hundreds of journeys on it...happy daze!
Memories of those unused viaducts when I was lodging as a youth in Stepney mid-1970's. As a 'person of railway lineage' I would imagine their restoration to traffic in some future raliway renaissance, never imagining its fulfillment.