Good morning on a Central Line train, a '92 stock
out here on the depth the eastern end
of zone four on the central line at Hainaut
there is a project taking place right now
The central Line Improvement project clip is the acronym
to refurbish the entire fleet of central line trains
and the running one in test here on the shuttle
between Hainaut and Woodford, there's some TFL press
people here and some of the people that worked
on the project
So we're gonna go for a ride on the brand new train
When I say new, it's refurbished
but it seems like a new train
And there's a new moquette too, which is very exciting
The new train is about to come out of the depot
It's gonna be the 10:42
It's basically going to
that was a one minute change to two minutes
Now it's one minute again, it's gonna do a shuttle run to
Woodford and back
Apparently the mayor's already been through this morning
but they all went to the depot over there
and he's not riding the train
I've just come to ride the train
which should be pulling in any second
You can see a new moquette, there's a new moquette
Inside
[Train Doors Opening]
[Beeping]
Oh yes
Look at that
Just running down carriages because I've been told
that in carriage there's some TFL press off is here
Ah, here we go
In carriages two and seven
Oh right, proper, proper priority area seating space
Tada right there. First time on a central line train
That's nice
So a lady called Colette
who works on the project for TFL is in the next carriage
She's currently being interviewed by some other people
I'll catch her when we get to Woodford
In the meantime, I've just got this
whole carriage to myself
I've already been told. Now we know
with the new Piccadilly line trains
with the Holden Maquette
I can tell you now, sorry with that design, it's inspired
by sort of Charles Holden buildings
New maquette here is called ''Tuppeny', Tuppeny
We can officially announce that today
the press release has gone out
This is the new moquette that's been designed in-House
by TFL and what I'm told, there's no sort
of secret buildings or emblems in here
but the circular round shaped and the bars
are apparently inspired by wheels and bogies of a train
But you know, a lot of people get excited
about new maquette, mainly me
So it's bogies, it's wheels and bogey
It's the underside of the train in the bars and circles
It's not actually round. And tuppeny is the name
of the new maquette and I think we're about to head off
around the loop to Woodford
A very good morning to you
Welcome aboard this central line service to Woodford
The next off for this train will be Grange Hill
We'll be departing in approximately three minutes time
[Beeping]
So the big thing, the big thing is
The next station is Grange Hill
The motors, the noise the train is making right now
can you hear, it's different
The next station is Chigwell
Please mind the gap between the train and the platform
Doors will open on the left hand side
So you see there you've got the new orange dot matrix
LED, "PIS" system as they call it
And audio announcement
New voice of the central line is a chap called Adrian
been asking the press office really nicely
to have an interview with him in the new year
And I'm saying this right now with the press office
over there off camera
So I really hope that they're taking this as a request
to Chigwell, to have a sit down interview
with Adrian the new year to discuss
Please mind the gap between the train
and the platform
To be the voice
This is Chigwell
Yes, thanks, yes
This is a central line train to Woodford
The next station is Roding Valley
And Colette who's sat over there who we'll chat to
when we get to Woodford is telling me not only is it
The next station is Roding Valley
Thanks Adrian
This station has step free access
Doors will open on the left hand side
The main reason they refurb the train is
to put new motors in into the acceleration is faster
It sounds different. You can feel it's not
as clunky, not as bumpy
Definitely smoother but it pulls away faster
But we are just gonna do Roding Valley
Least used station on the whole of the underground of course
Just poke my head out and then um we chat to Colette
when we get to the
See ya
Bye Geoff
Thanks
Bye Geoff, love you. Happy Christmas.
Thanks again Happy Christmas too
The next station is Woodford
where this Train terminates
I wonder if the kiosk that serves an amazing cup
of tea is still here at Woodford
We do Woodford for ages. We're at Woodford
and then we'll chat to Colette
[Beeping]
Adrian, you gonna say anything?
Please mind the gap between the train
and the platform
This is Woodford where this train terminates
Change here for services to Central London
There we go
We're on the platform at, where are we, Woodford?
Woodford station
Colette
Yeah
Hi, your name is being splashed up on screen now
Oh yeah
But you've worked on this for like the last four years.
Four years
Wow. See, see how noisy the old 92s are?
That's one of the main things, right?
Basically this started out as replacing the motors
on the worn out 92s 'cause they're now 30 years,
40 years old?
30 years old
Yeah
That's how it started
What else then happened?
So to predominantly to make the trains more reliable
and to improve the reliability of our service
Then we looked at the compatibility
of the train computer system in
and fought to include that as that was nearing obsolescence
and, and then it started to grow and grow
and more, more work packages and more scope
was added to the programme
So primarily it was to do the computers
and replace the motors
Yes
But in addition, you've done things like what
so lighting and CCTV and the grab rails I noticed.
Yes.
Does it look different, what, what's actually been
updated as far as the passenger can see
So from as from the passenger we've
improved the rail vehicle accessibility requirements.
So we've included wheelchair bays
Yes
We've included new grab poles, new flooring systems
to demarcate and differentiate where the doors accesses
'Cause there's legislation out that says
where the door is has to be a different shade or
colour to the rest of the carriage is that correct?
That's it to make it very, very obvious to people
So that's now happened okay
And then we've got a new passenger dot matrix system
installed in the train so
This this isn't us any second now one's gotta pull in.
Okay. You got the new passenger. The the new PIS
Yes
New PIS the dot matrix
And that announces all the next station, provides
integral customer information to our passengers.
But you're telling me 'cause the central line has
got these curved windows
You had to like mould and shape the PIS to fit
with the curved windows, right?
That's right. So our engineers had
to design new brackets to be able to
Its really noisy. Sorry go on
To to instal to be able to instal the new systems
as well as instal all the new wiring to be able
to put the new LED lighting in, the new CCTV cameras
put in the, and and to connect the new traction system
into it, onto the train as well
And the new traction system does make it smarter
to pull away as well as being a quieter and smoother ride
It is
Nice. And so they should be more reliable as well
They will definitely be more reliable
So less break hands in the central line
That's it.
How many units does the central have in total please?
Is it's around 80 isn't it? I think
85 trains on the, on, on the central line
And you're doing them what throughout 2024 at the moment
they're just here up at Wood ford, Hainaut
But when will the rest of the line, when will the rest
of the central line see these trains?
Next year they'll, we'll start, we are aiming
to start running end to end on the central line
Next year you'll, we'll have another four
We've got four trains in work at Axon Tower
Axon not Hainaut okay
No at Axon and then they'll start being introduced
next year as well and we'll be ramping up in in 2025
That's amazing
I'm gonna let you go but you did also off camera
She told me an amazing this an uber nerdy fact
[Laughing]
because the trains are being maintained at Axon, they have
to get from the central line down to Axon Works Depot
which means you do that little secret curve
of track roundabout south right
slip between Ickenham and South Ruislip
So it goes from the depot at South Ruislip?
It does
But you have to remove the trip Cox off the central
line before they go onto the pick tracks
Yes
And then put them back before
what because they're not compatible?
Because it's not compatible with the routing
and the design and the signalling works. So yeah
You literally span a take the trip Cox off, put 'em
to one side in a plastic bag until the train comes back up
Oh, and here's our train. Okay
So. oh yeah.
It looks all clean as well
It's clean, it's shiny. Okay
And you're excited right
Very excited.
Good timing
We're going to get on the train lovely to meet you
Pleasure
You where gonna ride back to Wood ford, right?
Absolutely
It's good
Thank you
[Doors Closing]
I think I just said we're going back to Woodford
but we're going back to Hainault
Can you see here, by the seats here?
The floor is one colour and then by the door area
there is now another colour
I've just been told that it's like, it's a, it's a rubber
lino that comes off a roller
I kind of wanna go to the factory that makes the floor now
and just kind of like see it happen
I need to see that.
Doors will open on the left hand side
I'm really getting used to having the audio announcement
It's great, it's great. And also look, so note here how
grab handles are red here and here and here
'cause I think before the grab handles here
were grey weren't they?
Note here that that's silver there
As we get back to Hainault, that's a new foot plate as well
which is along the edge of
of all the doors on the new central line train
So that's it. Back at Hainaut
Uh they're great
It feels like being on a new train again
this will give them uh an extended life span
Now this will take them up to what we are now 2023
So this should take the central line trains up to about 2040
before we see any new trains on the central line
So yeah, it's weird to think
that they're from 92, 92, oh-two-twelve
They're already 30, 31 years old
and I think this will roll back into the depot
So we'll end with a closing shot of that