Transport for London (TfL) has spent an estimated £942million on new DLR trains

In June 2023, TfL announced that the DLR would be getting its own fancy new fleet of turquoise trains. However, it has been far from smooth sailing.

The 54 air-conditioned vehicles were due to be in operation by April but the project has been hit with a sea of difficulties meaning 34 of the 40 already built are stuck in the Mediterranean country.

Those trains are currently sitting in the CAF factory, where they were built, following signalling difficulties and the collapse of a TfL contractor behind a depot required to store the trains in London.

TfL were ordered to replace 33 existing trains on the DLR network, some of which are more than three decades old much to the delight of regular London commuters.

A TfL spokesperson attributed the delay to the collapse of Buckingham Group in 2023, the contractor behind a new depot for the trains in London.

The company said at the time, in 2023, it had collapsed due to “extreme inflation linked to the Ukraine conflict”.

The delay was also caused by problems integrating the braking system on the driverless machines with the track signalling system – while enabling the existing DLR trains to keep running.

The fault became apparent after a new train slid beyond a stopping point during testing.

Despite the complications, TfL chiefs insist the new trains will begin entering service “as quickly as possible” and that all 54 new trains will be running by summer 2026.

A TfL spokesperson said: “We’re introducing 54 new trains to replace the 33 oldest trains in our fleet, some of which are more than 30 years old.

“The new trains will help us to improve the frequency and reliability of services and support population and employment growth across the network, particularly in parts of the Royal Docks and the Isle of Dogs where the DLR is the main transport option.

“These trains are being kept in storage in Spain while we wait for them to come into service.

“The delay in them coming to the UK was partially due to the signalling issues but also a result of our main contractor to build the required depot going into administration.

“We’re working hard to ensure they come into service as quickly as possible and before the end of this year.”