Rollout of new trains on Victoria Line complete

Date: 2/8/2011

The Victoria Line has witnessed a full rollout of new trains, as the old 1960s carriages have now been phased out.

Transport for London has announced that passengers using this Underground service can now enjoy trains that offer a higher capacity, with more space and wider doors for wheelchair users.

In addition, travellers who are sight impaired or have difficulty hearing can take advantage of the onboard audio and visual electronic information for assistance, while CCTV is a feature in all carriages.

Work is still ongoing to remove the line's old signalling system and once this is complete, total capacity on the service will have been increased by 21 per cent.

This will provide space for an extra 10,000 individuals every hour.

David Waboso, London Underground's Capital Programmes Director, says: "It is fitting that as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Victoria Line being completed to Brixton, we now have such a huge improvement for passengers in the form of a fleet of new trains running virtually every two minutes."

He adds that from next spring, 30 trains will operate every hour on the line in order to prepare for the estimated rise in demand during the Olympics.

London tube passengers may also recently have noticed that the stations they regularly use appear to be greener.

This is because the annual Underground in Bloom competition is underway, with employees cultivating flowers, fruit and vegetables in the transport hubs.

Posted by Nick Anderson