Plans for new ‘driverless’ Tube trains unveiled

London Evening Standard/London

London transport chiefs yesterday unveiled plans for hundreds of new driverless trains as part of a £16bn overhaul on some of the Tube’s most neglected lines.

The new-look Underground fleet will give passengers the benefits of air-conditioning and walk-through carriages for the first time on the “deep-level” lines, wider doors to load more passengers and step-free access.

London Underground said the interiors — designed by capital-based firm PriestmanGoode, responsible for the look of the leaning Pendolino train — aim to recreate the ambience of a living room, with new levels of comfort for seats and vestibules, pools of lights and electronic notice boards.

The 250 trains, replacing rolling stock built in the early 1970s, will be introduced first on the Piccadilly followed by the Bakerloo, Central and Waterloo & City lines and phased in from 2022. The contract includes enhanced signalling which will increase capacity 60% on the Piccadilly line, taking it to up to 19,000 passengers per hour, and by at least 25% on other lines.

Drivers’ cabs will be incorporated into the initial roll-out but the train design makes it possible for these to be removed, creating London’s first driverless Tube train — though probably not until 2030. Even then each Underground train will have “captains” in the carriages, performing similar functions to those on the driverless DLR.

Mayor Boris Johnson said yesterday, as he opened an exhibition of the New Tube for London at King’s Cross: “These innovative, eye-catching and sleek new trains will be vital for the continued modernisation of London Underground. “From Greenford to Gants Hill, from Alperton to Arnos Grove, they will ferry millions of people across our city, more comfortably, reliably and stylishly than ever before.

“The New Tube marks a significant step forward in giving Londoners and visitors the accessible and modern transport service they expect and deserve. These beautiful, air-cooled machines represent the best of British design and innovation. They will help to keep London and its economy moving in the right direction.”

LU’s director of strategy Gareth Powell said: “This is more highly designed than any other Tube. It is designed to be like sitting on your sofa in the living room with pools of light and more attention to the seats and vestibules.

“There are electronic noticeboards to tell you about the next stop. We are the only metro in the world with these small tunnels, which give us the iconic design of the Tube train, and we are making the most of that.”

London Underground strike called off

Britain’s main rail union yesterday called off a 48-hour strike on the London Underground system planned for next week after “substantial progress” in talks with management. Members of the 80,000-strong Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union had been due to walk out on October 14 over a long-running dispute over plans to close Tube ticket offices, which they said risked jobs and safety standards. Their action threatened major disruption, particularly as it was due to take place at the same time as a separate strike by public sector workers. “RMT has been able to secure significant movement in three key areas which have allowed our executive to suspend both the action scheduled for next week and the on-going overtime ban,” said the union’s general secretary Mick Cash.