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Light metro, driverless

Docklands Light Railway

A driverless light metro serving Canary Wharf, Greenwich, Stratford and London City Airport. It shares the Underground fare system exactly, so it needs no separate ticket — it is listed separately here because it has its own quirks worth knowing.

Serves
East London
Operator
Transport for London (TfL)
Opened
1987
Lines
6
Stops
45
Fares by
Zonal — identical to the Underground
Docklands Light Railway — Light metro, driverless

Photo: Keith Page · CC BY-SA 2.0

Ticket options

Contactless pay as you go

From £1.90 off-peak

Best for Everyone

Fares depend on zones travelled, exactly as on the Underground.

Daily cap, Zones 1–2

£8.90

Best for Canary Wharf and Greenwich in a day

Shared with all other TfL services.

DLR Rail & River Rover

£21.00 adult

Best for Sightseeing towards Greenwich

Combines unlimited DLR with Thames Clippers river boats for a day.

City Airport journey

£3.60 peak from Zone 1

Best for Flying from LCY

Far cheaper than any other UK airport rail link.

7 Day Travelcard, Zones 1–3

£52.50

Best for Staying in Docklands for a week

Canary Wharf is Zone 2, Greenwich Zone 2–3.

Fares checked May 2026. Confirm on the operator’s own fares page before you buy.

Where you tap

Tap in and tap out. Forgetting to tap out means the journey is recorded as incomplete and charged at the maximum fare for where you started.

How to pay

  • Contactless or Oyster, tapping at platform validators
  • Same fares, same caps and same Travelcards as the Underground

Concessions

  • Under 11s travel free with a fare-paying adult.
  • Zip photocard rates apply as elsewhere in London.

Worth knowing

  1. Tap the platform validators — DLR stations are mostly ungated and it is easy to forget.
  2. Sit at the very front. There is no driver, and the view over Docklands is the best free ride in London.
  3. The Cutty Sark stop puts you two minutes from Greenwich; the foot tunnel back to Island Gardens is worth the walk.

Photos

Canary Wharf DLR station
Canary Wharf DLR station mattbuck (category) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Royal Victoria DLR station
Royal Victoria DLR station mattbuck (category) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Common questions

Do I need to tap out on the DLR?
Tap in and tap out. Forgetting to tap out means the journey is recorded as incomplete and charged at the maximum fare for where you started.
Can I pay with a contactless card on the DLR?
Yes. Contactless or Oyster, tapping at platform validators.
What do children pay on the DLR?
Under 11s travel free with a fare-paying adult.