Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Tube geek (13) Rolling stock
Very different types of rolling stock run on London's different tube lines. Some of this is age-related - for example renovated 1961 carriages are still in use on the Metropolitan line, whereas the Jubilee boasts more modern 1996 stock. But trains are also different because tube tunnels come in two different sizes - taller and wider on sub-surface lines like the District and Circle, and squatter and narrower on deep level tubes like the Bakerloo and Piccadilly. And trains are also different lengths, usually because platforms are different lengths - longest on the Central and Victoria lines and shortest on the Waterloo & City. You can peruse the full technical specifications for all London Underground tube trains here. Or simply scan through my special summary table below. But I need some help with the 'Comfort' rating on the bottom row... any thoughts?
| | Met1 | H&C2 | Dis | Vic | Bak | Cen | W&C | Pic | Nor | Jub3 |
| Introduced0 | 1961 | 1970 | 1979 | 1967 | 1972 | 1992 | 1993 | 1993 | 1995 | 1996 |
| Carriages0 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Train length metres4 | 132 | 93 | 111 | 130 | 115 | 132 | 66 | 108 | 109 | 109 |
| Train height metres5 | 3.69 | 3.68 | 3.63 | 2.87 | 2.88 | 2.87 | 2.87 | 2.89 | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Train width metres5 | 2.95 | 2.92 | 2.84 | 2.64 | 2.64 | 2.62 | 2.62 | 2.62 | 2.63 | 2.63 |
| Train weight tonnes0 | 216 | 156 | 146 | 203 | 167 | 170 | 86 | 157 | 176 | 156 |
| Seating capacity0 | 448 | 192 | 280 | 304 | 264 | 272 | 136 | 228 | 248 | 200 |
| Standing capacity0 | 1045 | 958 | 958 | 926 | 816 | 930 | 518 | 798 | 773 | 873 |
| Crush capacity6 | 1493 | 1150 | 1238 | 1230 | 1080 | 1202 | 654 | 1026 | 1021 | 1073 |
| Double doors7 | 20 | 24 | 0 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Single doors7 | 4 | 0 | 24 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Comfort (out of 10)0 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 6 | ? | 7 | 8 |
Note 1: Includes Metropolitan and East London lines
Note 2: Includes Hammersmith & City, Circle and District (Wimbledon branch)
Note 3: Increasing to seven carriages this Christmas
Note 4: dg estimate, based on length of carriages plus a couple of metres for couplings
Note 5: The first three columns are sub-surface trains, the rest are smaller deep-level tube trains
Note 6: Crush capacity = Seating Capacity + Standing capacity
Note 7: One side of the train only
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