31 August: The Docklands Light Railway

The Docklands Light Railway in London opened on this date in 1987. Here are some things you might not know about the DLR.

1. The Docklands Light Railway (or DLR) is the only driverless rail system in the UK. It is 25 miles (40 km) long and reaches north to Stratford, south to Lewisham, west to Tower Gateway and Bank in the City of London financial district, and east to Beckton, London City Airport and Woolwich Arsenal.
2. It opened with 15 stations and 11 vehicles but has been extended several times and now has 45 stations and 149 vehicles.
3. Nearly 117 million people used it in 2015/16, but its peak usage was during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, when the DLR carried twice as many people as usual with up to 500,000 people on the busiest days.
4. The DLR originally cost just £77m to build. The tunnelled extension to Bank cost twice as much as the whole of the original railway.
5. The trains can travel at 62 miles per hour (100 km/h), although they rarely travel above 40mph.
6. Non-folding Bicycles, inflammable substances, and "anything that is more than 2 metres long" may not be carried on the DLR.
7. The shortest journey between stations is the 200m between West India Quay and Canary Wharf. Making the connection on foot is not recommended however, as the alternative route is mostly water.
8. The DLR's official colour on signage and the tube map is Pantone 326 green.
9. The silliest station name is probably Pudding Mill Lane, which ultimately got its name from St. Thomas's Mill, a local water mill which was shaped like a pudding. It could have been worse - until the 1890s the area was called Knob Hill.
10. Most confusing for tourists however is probably Abbey Road, which is nowhere near the famous Zebra Crossing. In fact it's on the opposite side of town. When I lived in London, Abbey Road was my nearest station and yes, I was asked by American tourists where the crossing was. There isn't even a crossing in the vicinity of the station. When I told them they were way off target, they asked was there anything to do in the area while they were here. I expect they went to Westfield Shopping mall! Because of this common error, Abbey Road is the location for probably the coolest poster on the London Transport system. It reads: "Day Tripper looking for The Beatles pedestrian crossing? Unfortunately, you are at the wrong Abbey Road. However, we can work it out and help you get back to the correct location. Take the DLR one stop to West Ham and change to a Jubilee Line train to St John's Wood station. Passengers need a ticket to ride."