I think the roll-out was anticipated to have been quicker, but I think due to the immense size of the order (I've read in some places that it's the biggest single metro train order in the world); Bombardier was struggling to build so many simultaneously.
- Bombardier are also building the 2009 Victoria Line stock (47 trains of 8 carriages = 376 carriages), of which 13 trains have been delivered, and a new train being delivered every 2 weeks.
- I also think Bombardier delivered the last of the new class 378 trains in June that run on the London Overground network (24 trains of 3 carriages, 33 trains of 4 carriages = 204 carriages).
- Bombardier are also busy building the new class 379 Stansted Express trains that will replace the current aging trains that operate between Liverpool Street and London Stansted Airport, the 30 trains will be delivered between March and June of next year.
Bombardier are doing a roaring trade in the UK and have built or are building (since 1999) some 3,955 carriages.
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Originally Posted by tpk-nyc
I was reading on the BBC Web site that most Tube trains aren't air conditioned (something that these new trains will remedy). I was very surprised and then occurred to me that I have only ever visited London in the winter.
I can't imagine the New York Subway without air conditioning. It would be absolutely miserable. London takes much better care of its system than we do it seems strange that it should not have this amenity. Do the cars not get that hot? Are people just used to it?
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London does get warm in the summer and the trains and platforms (especially the deep-level lines which are several stories below ground) do get dangerously hot; unfortunately air conditioning units produce heat themselves, and because of the depth of the tunnels and lack of ventilation they would actually exacerbate the situation as the hot air would be trapped in the network. Various technologies have been mooted to solve the problem; one involved installing giant gel packs under the seats/floor that would be initally cooled at the terminating station and then gradually melt to 'cool' the train as it made its journey along the line. Unfortunately I am not aware of the current status of where they are at with such technology as it would be a 'world first'.
Ideally air-conditioning technology reaches a stage where it is minaturised enough and doesn't emit heat to be added to tube trains.
Deep level stations are more fortunate - one trial that has gained momentum is the use of groundwater that enters the tube network. At Victoria station, 35 litres of cold water is pumped out every second; this water is now diverted to heat pumps that disperse cool air and absorb warm air before being dumped in the sewer network. It won't be applicable at every underground station, but has potential at a few dozen.
The sub-surface lines are a different matter as they were built with ventilation gaps (originally to allow steam to escape from the train engines) and thus can use air-con units. Air conditioning is pretty much present on the majority of the commuter rail routes in and around London.
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