Transport for London (TfL) says a large chunk of the capital’s Tube network is about to get a whole lot more reliable
Around 40 per cent of London’s Tube network is about to get a significant boost in frequency and reliability, after Transport for London wrapped up a successful test of new signalling over the weekend.
Engineers from TfL and Thales worked on testing trains on a new computer-based signalling and control system between Hammersmith and Edgware Road, which will be the first section of the Tube to go live with the new signalling system next summer.
The new system will allow trains to run closer together on the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan Lines, which TfL said will mean a more frequent service and shorter waiting times for customers.
Similar technology, allowing thousands more passengers to be transported each hour, is already used on the Jubilee and Northern Lines.
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The signalling upgrade will deliver:
17,500 more customers per hour on the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines
10,000 more customers per hour on the District line
9,000 more customers per hour on the Metropolitan line
The new signalling system is part of a large modernisation programme across the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan Lines, with the entire work set to be completed in 2023 to boost capacity and reliability.
New signalling will be complete across central London in 2020, which will be followed by increased trains in central London and to Barking during peak times, and then more trains on the Metropolitan Line at peak times.
(Click or tap for full-sized version.)
There are 1.3m journeys across the four lines each day (Source: TfL)
As the lines share a lot of track and infrastructure, they are being upgraded under a single project. The upgrade also forms part of the mayor’s transport strategy, with Sadiq Khan setting a goal of 80 per cent of the capital’s journeys being made by public transport, cycling or walking by 2041.
Mark Wild, London Underground’s managing director, said:
This is another significant moment in our vital programme to revolutionise nearly half of the Tube.
Great progress is being made and, as early as next year, customers will start to see improved reliability and the most up-to-date customer information as the signalling is introduced. This programme is an important part of our multi-billion pound investment to overhaul some of the oldest parts of the Tube and improve journeys for our customers.
(Source: TfL)
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