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Alstom completes Northern Line fleet upgrade

Alstom has completed the modernisation of 106 trains serving the Northern Line, following a two-year upgrade programme for London Underground (LU). 

The mid-life refurbishment programme for the six-car 1995 Stock trains included replacing 3.7 million items on the fleet, which Alstom says represents approximately 35,000 components per train. 

During the work, the teams at Alstom’s Morden and  Golders Green Metro Traincare Centres replaced 11km of lino in the fleet, polished 15,688 windows to remove graffiti and changed 27,5000 seat backs. 

This was all done in partnership with LU to ensure a “seamless transition” to maintain daily service levels. And now, the 106th and final train – upgraded both inside and out, including new wheelchair spaces – has re-entered service. 

The Northern Line fleet, which was built by Alstom travels around 15 million kilometres a year. 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.” 

There is a special feature on the future of the Northern Line (and the recent resignalling) in the April/May 2015 edition of RTM, which you can read for FREE using the new App, available on iOS and Android. Search ‘RTM Magazine’ in the App Store / Google Play.