Saturday, November 25, 2023
#10002 ✅ Journeys
Way back in January 2020 TfL started withdrawing rolling stock from the Central line as part of an ongoing programme of refurbishment. All the motors need replacing, plus this offered the additional opportunity to add wheelchair spaces, LED lighting, CCTV and improved on-board audio-visual information. Yesterday the first of those refurbished trains finally entered public service... but only on a single journey from Hainault to Woodford and back, after which it returned to the depot. It was the busiest journey the Hainault shuttle has seen for many a year.
One of the big changes is that the announcements are now made by a man called Adrian rather than a woman called Emma. This may take some getting used to. And the most obvious change is that the seats have a brand new moquette. I quite like it.
It's very different to recent tube moquettes in which the pattern incorporates nods to famous London landmarks (for example the new Piccadilly moquette which debuted abroad last week). This one's more geometric, all circles, stripes and diamonds, presenting a very different visual feel throughout the carriage. The main colours are grey and red, while the priority seats are instead grey and blue to create a readily-identified contrast. Don't expect to see this rolling out more widely until next year, and don't expect to see the moquette in the media until the Mayor's officially sat on it. But one day we'll all be sitting on it, whatever its new name is, because refurbishing Central line trains is a lot cheaper than buying new ones.
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