Following extensive testing and preparation, a state-of-the-art train is now operating in passenger service between Liverpool Street and Shenfield on the TfL Rail route. The train is part of a fleet of 66 that will serve the Elizabeth line when the new rail tunnels open through central London in December next year.
Eleven trains will be introduced on the route by the autumn. The trains will be initially 160 metres long and made up of seven carriages. They will later be extended to nine carriages and the full length of 200 metres to carry up to 1,500 people. Key features of the trains include: air-conditioning, walk-through carriages, dedicated wheelchair spaces, intelligent lighting and temperature control, CCTV for passenger security, improved travel information for passengers.
“I’m delighted that our first state-of-the-art Elizabeth line train has entered service on the TfL Rail service. It gives Londoners a first look at a new service that will transform travel across London and the south east when the line opens,” The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said.
The trains are being built at Bombardier Transportation’s UK site. The Elizabeth line will serve the West End, the City and Docklands and run from Reading and Heathrow in the west across to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east, through 40 accessible stations. When fully open in 2019, the Elizabeth line will increase central London’s rail capacity by ten per cent, carrying over half a million passengers per day.
Share on:
