London Underground and TfL

First of the S7 stock begins operations to Barking

The first of the new S7 stock on the Hammersmith & City line is now running all the way to Barking.

Nigel Holness, director of Operational Change and Upgrades at London Underground, said: “This is great news for our customers in the east end of London. The trains are longer, walk-through and in the summer customers will be able to benefit from the air conditioning too. 

“It is the first of 53 new trains that will operate on the Hammersmith & City and Circle lines and will start rolling out in earnest from spring next year.” 

Photos can be seen here.

The fully walk-through trains allow better access for passengers and provide 17% more capacity on the Hammersmith & City and Circle lines. The new seven-car rolling stock offers more capacity then the previous six carriage trains, relieving pressure on the Underground network.

Braking is provided by Knorr Bremise’s EP2002 system, and although the S Stock is using the tripcock train protection system for now, by 2018 this will be upgraded thanks to the installation of Bombardier’s Cityflo 650 signalling system.

The new trains will also have automated visual displays and station announcements, CCTV, wheelchair access, wider doors and walkways, lower passenger alarms and a smaller gap between the train and the platform.

S7 Stock trains are 117.5 metres long, with a capacity of 865 passengers, based on four passengers per m².

The interiors offer a much better experience for passengers. As one enthusiast put it: “What was noticeable yesterday was riding the new LO link on a 378 and changing to the S7 at Whitechapel, how so very different the train interiors are. From the cramped, low windows – some with fixed openers, some with destination equipment obsuring, on the 378 – to the tall unobstructed windows on S Stock, which you can quite easily stand by the doors and look out.”

Last month, more than half of the Metropolitan line S Stock was returned to Bombardier’s Derby facility for modifications, at Bombardier’s cost. They are having wheel bearing adjustments, and drivers have also complained about the in-cab environment.

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(Image copyright TfL.)