Loading Page...

Are there staff on the DLR?

On the DLR and trams, most stops and stations are unstaffed, although you can find a member of staff on the train or tram.



While the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) in London is famous for being an automated, "driverless" system, it is not unstaffed. Every train has a Passenger Service Agent (PSA) on board. Although they do not sit in a traditional driver's cab—allowing passengers to sit at the very front for a "rollercoaster" view—the PSA is responsible for patrolling the train, checking tickets, and assisting passengers with enquiries. Crucially, they are trained to take manual control of the train using a hidden panel if a technical fault occurs or in an emergency. Additionally, while many smaller stations are unstaffed, major interchange stations have a visible staff presence to help with navigation and safety. The four underground stations on the network (Bank, Island Gardens, Cutty Sark, and Woolwich Arsenal) are always staffed to comply with fire and health and safety regulations for subsurface environments. So, while you won't see a driver steering, there is a dedicated human presence on every single journey to ensure the system runs smoothly and safely.

People Also Ask

Normal operations are automated, so there is minimal staffing on the 149 trains (which have no driving cabs) and at major interchange stations; the four below-ground stations are staffed, to comply with underground station health and safety regulations.

MORE DETAILS

Each car has four doors on each side, and two or three cars make up a train. There are no cabs because normal operations are automated, and a small driver's console is concealed behind a locked panel at each end, from which the Passenger Service Assistant (PSA) can drive the car if required.

MORE DETAILS

London's second rapid-transit system, the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), has operated with driverless trains since its opening in 1987. Boris Johnson promised in 2012 that there would be driverless Tube trains within 10 years.

MORE DETAILS

The DLR is more automated than other UK railway systems. DLR stations generally do not have staff. Barriers require staff, when there are difficulties. Therefore passenger validate their journeys with card readers.

MORE DETAILS

Transport for London (TfL) said that the change is being delivered by redistributing existing resources to better support how customers use the DLR – particularly now the Elizabeth line has opened. The ability to run more trains is being delivered by running shorter trains at times.

MORE DETAILS

The DLR isn't really driverless 'While our trains are mostly automated, a passenger service agent like me drives them to and from the depot and has to operate them manually if they break down. There are hidden controls at the front, where everyone wants to sit.

MORE DETAILS

Driverless trains: The DLR was one of the first transport systems in the world to use fully automated trains without drivers. The trains are controlled by a central computer system that monitors their speed, location, direction, doors, brakes, etc.

MORE DETAILS

DLR technology is single fault tolerant. The network fails on multiple simultaneous faults in the ring. Another disadvantage of DLR is additional complexity. The DLR object must be configured at each ring node.

MORE DETAILS

We can advise that the lines are electrified with a four-rail Direct Current (DC) system. The configuration and potential of the conductor rails varies across the network.

MORE DETAILS