The New Tube for London

On the 9^th October 2014, TFL gave a press release regarding the 'New Tube for London' designs which we will see operating in the 2020’s.

The Mayor and London Underground (LU) today revealed stunning new designs for the 'New Tube for London' - the next generation of Underground trains, which will come in to service from the mid-2020s.  The New Tube will be introduced first on the Piccadilly line, followed by the Bakerloo, Central and Waterloo & City lines. Its innovative design will also allow for air-cooling for the first time on deep-level sections of the Tube.
The train - designs for which are part of a new public exhibition at King's Cross St Pancras Underground station - also features improved accessibility, with step free access from the platform as well as walk-through carriages and wider doors. The introduction of new trains and a better Tube service will help the Underground keep pace with London's rapidly rising population and support the city's economy.The building of the 250 new trains, which will feature attractive internal styling that echoes the Underground's heritage, will also help to support new jobs and growth elsewhere in the UK.Transport for London's (TfL) team has been working with transport design specialists PriestmanGoode to ensure that there was a balance between the design and function of a train that will serve London for decades to come, and respect the world-renowned and instantly recognisable design heritage of London Underground.Mike Brown MVO, Managing Director of London Underground said: `The New Tube for London will change the face of travel on the Underground. The faster, more frequent and more reliable services it will enable will help us keep pace with London's growing population. The design respects the past but also looks to the future with the very latest technology; including walk-through carriages and wider doors to enable people to get on and off quickly and air-cooling for the first time on the deep level lines. `Londoners are already seeing huge improvements on the Tube network, with faster and more frequent journeys on the Jubilee and Victoria lines, the modernisation of the Northern line nearing completion this year, and new walk-through, air-cooled trains on the Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan and part of the District lines. The New Tube will take the improvements to the next level.`The trains will serve London for more than 40 years and will be designed and built to be capable of fully automatic operation.When the new trains first enter service they will have an operator on board. Along with modernised signal systems operating alongside them, the trains will enable faster, more frequent and reliable services with fewer delays, as well as providing greater capacity on all four lines:·The Central line by 25 per cent (the equivalent of up to 12,000 customers per hour);
·The Bakerloo line by 25 per cent (the equivalent of up to 8,000 customers per hour);
·The Waterloo & City line by 50 per cent (the equivalent of up to 9,000 customers per hour);and,
·The Piccadilly line by 60 per cent (the equivalent of up to 19,000 customers per hour).
Paul Priestman, Designer and Co-founding Director of PriestmanGoode, said: `London's Tube is one of the most iconic trains around the world. We are proud to have designed something that is part of the very fabric of London life, celebrating all that's great about London's environment; cutting edge technology, rich history and diversity. The New Tube for London will take the city into the future by enriching the everyday journey of its passengers.The New Tube for London exhibition is at King's Cross St Pancras Underground station, Northern ticket hall, from Thursday 9 October until Sunday 16 November.The exhibition features images of the New Tube design, including a fly-through film, giving Londoners a glimpse into the future.A formal Invitation to tender is expected to be issued in early 2015 and a contract to build the new trains to be awarded in 2016. The first train is expected to come into service on the Piccadilly line in 2022.

Link

Below is a video demonstrating the New Tube for London

Link to video

In the video, the design is different from the Siemens proposed design of its Inspiro at The Crystal between October 2013 and January 2014. But in the video the New Tube for London is designed by PriestmanGoode.

Also, it will bring in improved platforms to increase accessibility to the network, it will also bring in the Platform Edge Doors which the Jubilee Line extension currently has.

The part of the proposal that I disagree with is not having a drivers cab because if the train should malfunction the driver would be able to override the problem by turning it to manual train operation. The drivers cab also keeps the driver safe by retaining the cab ends of the train. An overcrowded train would also cause a delay for the train crew to be able to reach the train controls. So I think retaining the drivers cab would be the best way forward. I know there are driverless trains on the Docklands Light Rail though.

The Central Line will see approximately 100 new trains which would increase capacity by 25%;  Bakerloo Line will see approximately 40 new trains which increases capacity by 25%; Piccadilly Line will see approximately 100 new trains which increases capacity by 60% and lastly Waterloo & City Line will get 10 new trains which will increase capacity by 50%.

In my opinion, in a decade or so the Northern, Jubilee and Victoria Lines' will have the 'New Tube for London' which will increase capacity and give the passengers the ability to walk through the entire train.

It will also be the first to bring air cooling on to the deep level lines to keep the passengers inside the train cool, especially during the summer season.

Right now, TFL is tendering a contract to five manufacturers' which are Alstom, Siemens, Hitachi, CAF and Bombardier in early 2015. TFL is also expecting the first train to be in service on the Piccadilly line in 2022.

For more details on the 'New Tube for London', visit their official page here: www.tfl.gov.uk/newtube

If you think that the New Tube for London is better than the London Buses flagship project New Routemaster, then leave a comment and let me know.

My Twitter is @CLondoner92, don’t forget to follow me, thanks.

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Tube_for_London

http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/urban/single-view/view/siemens-unveils-proposal-for-future-london-underground-train.html