London Underground and TfL

Nonsuchmike   11/04/2014 at 19:20

Hurray, at last, and not before time. Will these trains be four or five car units? Will they be pure EMUs or DEMUs? Are they buying off the peg or a complete new specification? Or a mixture of both? We need to know, because 3 years is not a long time in the design agreement and construction of several units if completely new. Good news for East Anglia, but what about the crummy suburban/cross country fleets in other areas?

Ricp   16/04/2014 at 14:18

There is some concern about this order for what could be 39 Clas 378 clones. There has been so much criticism of the existing trains on the North London and East London lines, being described as cattle trucks with hard seats. The seats are hard, bad if the passenger has a lumbar spine problem as I do. There are no transverse seats so it is impossible to see out of the windows, and when these trains are crowded they can become claustrophobic, as a standing passenger could be standing with, literally, their back-side in a seated passenger's face! This is not peasant, and on these trains it seems worse than on Underground stock. TfL is now obsessed with maximising the capacity of their trains, not by increasing the number of 'bums on seats' but feet on the floor. It is time to change the policy here to include in each coach some transverse seats, as has been done on the S8 trains which replaced the 1960s vintage A stock on the Metropolitan Line, which offered passengers travelling out to Bucks and Herts a chance of a seat. The need for compromise is recognised, as TfL is, in effect, treating its fare payers with contempt, showing little concern for passenger comfort. The existing diesel trains on the Gospel Oak - Barking line are much more comfortable for passengers off peak, with good seats. However the severe overcrowding shows that fewer seats, to give more space around door openings is sense, but a compromise must be reached. TfL must meet passengers to ensure their needs are met as far as possible. They failed to do this with the NLL 378s, and TfL's attitude was endorsed by Hackney's Mayor and staff, who wanted Overground to look like the Underground. This was very unsatisfactory but there has been little attempt by TfL to listen to passengers and correct this error.

Diapason   25/04/2014 at 12:46

TFL are arrogant. Their train designs should be for maximimum safety, yet provide passengers with seats designed for longer journeys in transverse mode. Longer journeys stock including CrossRail should also ALL be fitted with a least one toilet as to get maximum use trains need passenger at all hours 7 days a week, not just commuters and if family or older folk use, there MUST be facilities on board