COMMENT: FORMER TFL RAIL MD AND DLR CHAIRMAN HOWARD SMITH

“The thing that everyone involved with the DLR talks of is the ‘can do’ culture, in which it’s grown from an embarrassingly underspecified and rather unreliable service at the start to a vital part of the spectacular regeneration of East London. It provides near-faultless service, day in, day out and carried half a million passengers a day as a trusted centrepiece of the 2012 Olympic Games.

“The extensions to Lewisham, London City Airport, Woolwich and Stratford rank as some of the most rapidly developed and costeffective rail infrastructure anywhere in Europe, delivered by a hugely talented team that ran a ‘production line’ of projects, from walking the route, through planning, delivery and operation - eventually including a cable car - the ‘Docklands Light Ropeway’, as it was christened by some!

“In successfully pioneering moving block signalling, near-universal stakeholder support, a record rail market share from a brilliantly located station at City Airport, and its efficient, cost-effective operations, the DLR has taught lessons that go far beyond East London, both in terms of organisational learning and the DLR ethos that has spread throughout the world. A largely self-contained operation divorced from some of the distractions - and occasional madness - of the wider networks has provided a real chance for talented people to show what they can do - and have enormous fun while doing so!

“Happy birthday DLR, and here’s to even greater glories - and further expansion - in the coming decades!”