One of the oldest parts of the Tube network is about to become “one of the most modern” as TfL wraps up signalling testing
Work to improve a batch of Tube lines has moved up a gear after the completion of a major test of the new signalling system which will allow trains to run closer together and up the frequency of services.
Transport for London (TfL) said one of the oldest parts of the Tube network will become one of the most modern, with the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan Lines to benefit from the new signalling system.
This work will improve reliability and boost capacity on 40 per cent of the Tube network, which carries over 1.3m customers a day. The first trains are set to operate under the new system this summer.
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The section between Hammersmith and Edgware Road will be the first to go live on the new system, and should provide more accurate real-time customer information, as well as improving reliability.
The system will be rolled out in stages over 14 sections across the network, with customers set to benefit from quicker, more frequent services from 2021. All four lines will use the system by 2023.
Stuart Harvey, TfL’s director of major projects, said:
This work on the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan Lines will transform one of the oldest parts of the network into one of the most modern and revolutionise journeys on 40 per cent of the Underground.
He added that the team was “working around the clock” so that customers can start to feel the benefits from the summer.
How the new signalling system will impact the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan Lines…
Allow trains to run closer together, increasing the frequency of train services
32 trains per hour will operate in the central London section
That will boost capacity by a third across all four lines, equivalent to space for an extra 36,500 customers during the busiest times of the day
The capital’s transport body is looking to deliver upgrade work as it grapples with both a surprise fall in passenger numbers, and the loss of government funding, while aiming to secure hefty savings across its five-year business plan.
The organisation said in its most recent plan that it expects a £784m deficit this year, which will then hit £968m for 2018/19. It is aiming to turn that around to an operating surplus by 2021.
The fall in passenger numbers has been a problem with the Tube the only part of the network to make a profit, and upgrades to the Jubilee and Northern Lines have been shelved after TfL was left “faced with an investment prioritisation process”, according to transport bosses.
Instead, the Northern Line will have more high frequency services during the evening peak to help tackle crowding.
Read more: TfL facing £1bn operational deficit as revenue raising efforts suffer blow