Norhern Line Modernisation has Completed

Alstom has now completed the modernisation of 106 trains serving the Northern line, following a two year upgrade programme for London Underground (LU). Alstom has worked in partnership with LU to ensure a seamless transition and to maintain the daily service levels ‎of the Underground.

As part of the programme, the teams at Alstom’s Morden and Golders Green Metro Traincare Centres have: replaced 11km of lino in the fleet, which is roughly the distance between Buckingham Palace and the O2 Arena, polished 15,688 windows to remove graffiti, which is more panels of glass than in the Shard; and changed 27,500 seat backs, which is equivalent to a third of Wembley Stadium.

The 106th and final train that has been upgraded, both inside and outside, including fitting wheelchair spaces and upgrading passenger information systems, has now re-entered service.

The mid-life refurbishing programme included 3.7 million items replaced on the fleet, which represents about 35,000 components per train.

“The team working on the project has done a fantastic job and I am sure most passengers didn’t realise what was going on until they got into a refreshed train on their commute to work for the first time,” said Piers Wood, Managing Director Urban & Services, Alstom Transport UK.

Stevyn Walder, Performance Manager for Northern Line Trains, said: “Thanks to this refurbishment, Northern line trains are looking better than ever before. Customers travelling on the Northern line can now expect a cleaner and more comfortable environment to brighten up their journeys.”

The Northern line carries up to a quarter of Tube passengers, around one million people per day Monday to Friday.

Alstom ensures that 96 trains are available for passenger service each morning and evening peak, with the first train going into service at 5am and the last train returning to the depot the following morning at 2am. The Northern line fleet, which was built by Alstom, travels around 15 million kilometres a year.

Source : Alstom