The Docklands Light Railway has been a major catalyst in the regeneration of East London. The commissioning of a Public Arts Strategy and Programme for our 20th anniversary presented the opportunity to celebrate the DLR's achievements and to contribute a strong cultural dimension to our future work.

The DLR already has a major impact on the landscapes through which it operates; it is often very visible to the communities it connects and the way it impacts on the places it passes through. The Public Arts Strategy underlines the railway's commitment to culture within regeneration. By applying a public arts policy to the delivery of new extensions and upgrades to the network it anticipates that artists will have fundamental influence on infrastructure, public spaces, landscapes, and lighting as well as the opportunity to create delight through temporary interventions, sound, poetry, interactive and live art.

As the principal means of public transport for connecting East and South East London's cultural venues with their users - from museums and galleries, artists' studios, dance and theatre venues, to educational establishments, libraries and leisure centres, as well as being the key network for connecting London's two financial centres in the City and Canary Wharf - the DLR's role as a key cultural network will be further strengthened by the arrival of the Olympic Park and adjacent developments.