Keolis and Amey bags Docklands Light Railway franchise Transport and Related Services

TRANSPORT for London (TfL) has appointed Keolis Amey Docklands, a joint venture of Keolis (70%) and Amey (30%), to operate and maintain the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) automated metro network up till April 2021 with an provision for a two year extension.

According to TfL, The total value of the contract will be above £700m over the duration of the franchise and extension period. Keolis Amey Docklands will take over operation of the network from Serco Docklands on December 7.

Serco, Stagecoach Rail Projects, and a joint venture of Go-Ahead and Colas Rail which withdrew from the competition before it concluded were some of the shortlisted bidders.

The 38km rail network has 45 stations and a fleet of 149 trains. The DLR carried a record 101 million passengers with on-time performance frequently exceeding 99%. Since 1997, the system has been operated by Serco, during the 2013-14 financial year.

With the opening of the east-west Crossrail link, traffic is likely to increase more from 2018 ahead, which will interchange with the DLR at Canrary Wharf, Stratford, and Custom House.