It comes just weeks after Lewisham Council called for extended hours on the DLR to improve transport connections in south east London.
Amid uncertainty over funding for a Bakerloo line extension to Lewisham, the local authority said that a night time service on the DLR “could be delivered through a lesser level of investment”.
“The council believes that this could be achieved within the confines of the existing DLR network – possibly without the need for signalling improvements,” the council said.
“The only possible barrier to implementing this service improvement is capacity of on-board staff.”
Although the DLR is automated, there is a member of staff on every train responsible for customer service and safety.
And today (August 5), TfL has shut down the idea that a night time service might be added soon.
Tom Page, general manager for the DLR, said: “While there are currently no plans to introduce a night service on the DLR, we value all feedback from local stakeholders and communities.
“Any services introduced on the transport network need to ensure value for our customers.”
TfL added that maintenance work often takes place on the DLR network overnight.
Transport bosses have previously considered a night time DLR service between Bank and Lewisham or Woolwich Arsenal but determined that the initiative would be poor value for money.
It was found that the forecasted demand for the DLR overnight would not be high enough to generate sufficient revenue for the operator.
Lewisham Council also suggested that the “metroisation” of existing rail routes could help to improve transport connections in the borough.
This would involve TfL taking over mainline suburban train routes currently run by other operators such as Southeastern.
TfL claims that it has a track record of delivering reliable and affordable train services, and that rail devolution would standardise fares across the capital.
But Lewisham Council admitted that this approach would “be dependent on significant investment” and could require greater automation.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has backed an extension of the Bakerloo line to Lewisham but has yet to secure funding from the Government for work to start.
The project is expected to cost as much as £8 billion to complete, with trains running in 2040 at the earliest.
