Docklands Light Railway Limited in February 2003 awarded the thirty year contract for the DLR City Airport Extension Concession to CARE Ltd, a jointly owned (50% / 50%) company between AMEC Project Investments (now part of Morgan Est) and Royal Bank of Scotland. AMEC Group Ltd and Colas Rail Ltd were appointed by CARE Ltd to construct and maintain the new City Airport extension.

This new extension has created a link that significantly improves access to the community in Silvertown and also provides a valuable direct rail link between the City from London City Airport. The route of the DLR CAE is 4.4 km in length, running over mainly elevated twin track railway, from Canning Town station to King George V station in North Woolwich via the southern part of the Royal Docks. With four new stations and passive provision made for a further station at Thames Wharf.

Colas Rail has been contracted by CARE Ltd to provide an effective maintenance service until 2019. Colas Rail is responsible for the following activities;

• Establishment of an asset register at the commencement of the contract;

• special asset inspection, maintenance and monitoring schedules;

• failure modes, effects and criticality analysis;

• effective short and long term maintenance strategy and possession plans;

• logic based maintenance strategy;

• efficient planned maintenance routines and operational procedures;

• monitoring of KPI achievement. By far the greatest challenge faced by Colas Rail is to maintain the current
   asset availability of 99.85% as the system matures.