Three new Docklands Light Railway trains have been taken out of service after one overshot a platform in wet weather.

The new B23 trains started running on the Stratford International to Woolwich Arsenal route six weeks ago, but TfL has decided to temporarily remove the trains from service so the braking issue can be investigated and fixed.

Some 54 trains will eventually be introduced on the DLR, replacing carriages  dating back to 1991, but the rollout of the new trains has been hit by delays. Some of the old trains have already been withdrawn, leading to a reduced service on parts of the network.

The B23s have been on test for over two years, with frequent weekend closures on the network, but many of the trains had to be stored in Spain, where they were made, for an extended period because the contractor in charge of expanding the network’s depot in Beckton collapsed.

Teams from TfL, the DLR operator KeolisAmey and the manufacturer CAF are investigating the issue. 

TfL said that service levels would be unchanged.

“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,” said Stuart Harvey, TfL’s chief capital officer. 

“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.”

DLR trains run automatically without a driver, but a staff member on board each train can take charge if needed. 

The incident with the new trains will bring back memories of a highly-publicised accident that took place a few months before the original network opened in 1987.

A test train overshot the buffers at Island Gardens station, then the line’s terminus, leaving it dangling precariously over the end of the viaduct. Nobody was injured, and it was later found that the train was being driven manually as part of a test that had not been authorised.

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