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There's no better way to get around some of the most interesting and attractive parts of London than using the Docklands Light Railway - a fully-automated, driver-less train service linking the City with Canary Wharf and Greenwich.

Opened by HM The Queen in July 1987 to serve the modest development then planned for the derelict dock areas of East London, the DLR has expanded and grown serving not only the booming new developments in Docklands but also the communities and their visitors, nowhere more so than at Greenwich.

Now carrying more than 33 million passengers a year, the DLR remains one of the most civilised ways to travel and see around London, with most of its route on elevated track providing panoramic views across docklands old and new, providing marvellous photo-opportunities of Canary Wharf, the Royal Docks and many other London landmarks from the light and airy carriages.

From central London the DLR runs from Tower Gateway Station by Tower Bridge and from Bank Station in the heart of the City. Trains run every few minutes from both stations to Canary Wharf with its wonderful shopping opportunities, Greenwich, fast becoming a prime tourist centrepiece in London, Lewisham, and through the Royal Docks to Stratford.

At various points along the route are some of the most fascinating historic areas of London, with many little-known attractions close to the stations and awaiting discovery by the astute.

A range of tickets is available, from straightforward single and return fares, to special 'Docklander' tickets which enable you to hop on and off the DLR where you please. You get a first class deal buying the London Pass with your London travel concessions combined. There is even a special Sail and Rail ticket combining unlimited travel on the DLR with a riverboat ride between Westminster and Greenwich. The DLR operates over the same timescales as the Underground system.

The DLR is one of the most complex light rail systems in the world. The key to its success lies in its fully computerised signalling system. Thus each train knows where it is, and where other trains are on the system. A safe distance between trains is also maintained and stopping at stations as well as controlling the doors is fully automatic.

Although trains do not have 'drivers' each has a Train Captain, who checks tickets, and is fully trained to be able to take manual control of the train if required, as well as provide information and advice.

DLR is the first fully accessible transport network in London. All trains can be used with ease by people with buggies or pushchairs and wheelchairs. There are lifts or ramps at all stations and platforms are level with the trains, which have desig