Inside London Underground's workshop as 'failing' trains given overhaul

The London Underground's Central line trains are undergoing a huge half a billion pound renovation. Engineers are stripping stock to its bones to ensure a 'smoother' to ride and help combat crime.
Various fixings and moving parts are being replaced in TfL's new AC14 maintenance building in Acton. These include wheels that have become too small after years of ware on rails.
The cash will also be spent on improving the 'ambience' - which can be a tad dim dark due to the line's darker windows that help regulate the stock's temperature - with brighter LED lights. Further, smarter, more up to date computers with more diagnostic capabilities will replace the ones currently in place that were developed in the 1980s.
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[@nobody_123]

Thanks for being considerate to us as commuters

[@NCHLTII]

I'm still amazed it's taken this long

[@NoddyMaccy]

And the service the first train is operating is one run from Hainault to Woodford and back…

[@amazing50000]

Why can't the MTA do this here in New York? The R44 & R46 subway cars do need to be replaced by the R211's because of length reasons and because they are over 50 years old, but R62/A subway cars can be rebuilt like this instead of wasting money they do not have on new cars to replace them.

[@TheKentBusboy]

They were gonna do this 3 years ago but covid messed up everything

[@joshuahalla.k.a.controlla6333]

Wow.

[@ten-bob-note]

I couldn't help but notice that the paint is peeling away from the inside of the door that you were standing next to. Either it was peeling already and they didn't bother repainting the inside of the doors, or else they did and the new paint is already coming away. Either way, it doesn't say much for the "refurbishment". Fingers crossed that the technicians that fitted the new AC traction motors are more competent than the slap-dash painters.

[@djtwo2]

I see no doors being stood next to.

[@scottpeacock5492]

Why would women and girls get attack on the underground, this is sad, plus the Bakerloo line trains needs replacing they look knackered.

[@TheLondonTransportDroid]

Nice

[@davidfalconer8913]

The cable looms can be so long , that the subcontractors that assemble these often have to keep their factory door(s) open to stretch them out into the car park to check the correct length ! ......... DAVE™🛑

[@haroldpearson6025]

They didnt break down when built by Metro Cammell

[@NCHLTII]

Because these were built by british rail!

[@jakewynn]

how are the "DC motors" unreliable?? They are a motor, they either work or they don't. They were built in the 90s and are incredibly simple, so there's nothing to fail on them. I think they are referring to the drive system, not the motor.

[@morzee94]

They're unreliable because their brushes need periodic replacement and on the central line, have been failing prematurely. AC motors don't have that problem so have longer lifecycle and better reliability as a result.

[@jakewynn]

@@morzee94 but the 1936 stock has dc motors and was in full service till 2 years ago!

[@morzee94]

@@jakewynn With a huge amount of maintenance and a workload nowhere near as intense as a modern central line service.

[@jakewynn]

@@morzee94 well it wouldn't have been far off, it was fewer trains so they were running for similar hours a day.

[@morzee94]

@@jakewynn Remember that the central line runs 20 hours a day weekdays and 24 hours a day weekends. It also has very harsh track conditions and the ATO is set to accelerate and brake very quickly to maximise line capacity. There’s absolutely no way that trains on the island line go through anywhere near the level of wear and tear as those on the central line. Also, going back to your original question…… ac motors have longer lifespans and need less maintenance than brushed dc motors, which is why they’ve replaced them. The 92 stock was becoming very unreliable as their old motors started to fail more frequently leading to reduced availability of trains and therefore lots of delays.

[@vincentkohlumcfan22]

Car 91331, take note rail enthusiasts :o

[@camotech1314]

Violence against women and girls?? Whut

[@tomjardine100]

So men don't experience violence from women?

[@_JohnDoe]

These are specialised CCTV cameras, serving a highly-specific purpose. Or so says TfL...

[@MrProflair]

THE WHOLE VIDEO WAS RUINED BY ONE PHRASE!

[@poundlandspeedwagonrequiem]

I don't get it. There's billboards and posters everywhere on London Transport about sexual abuse and other nonsense for over a decade now. Is there some sort of sex scandal epidemic that has been going on since 2010???

[@mildlydispleased3221]

My London is genuinely the worst news publication on the face of this planet.

[@TheKentBusboy]

How

[@mildlydispleased3221]

@TheKentBusboy Ads everywhere, stolen articles, sloppy research and writing and creating articles out of random peoples' social media posts.

[@Peter-mj6lz]

Then don’t follow them

[@tomslade3365]

SHould been scraped and the above ground routs returned to hevey rail or tram the goverment need to cut back this endless free money for TFL and get it off the UK taxpayers back time london cut its cloth to meet its pocket ! the middle of the centrail line is now a redundant post the opening of the Elzabeth line again billions of cost can be cut other tube lines need radical rethinking and closures the old victoran stations and small trains realy are past their sell by date moden city need propper rail

[@Farleigh1050]

If all goes to plan, they should be in 2023-2033 after the new 24 stock has reached the pic and bakeeloo lines, for now there were some parts on the unrefurbed that didnt meet modern requirements such as unrefurbed 72 and 92 not having accessible areas, and both not meeting some requirement woth announcements, and also both not having any type of dot matrix

[@remixdiamond2276]

This is suck a laughing stock because if you look at the 1992 stock, you can obviously see what they’re saying is there basically overhauling them so early in their career technically their mid life point and their failing way harder than the 1973 stock which has been built in 70s one thing I can say about trains is that if you design it to pacific service and you design, it structurally sound it pays off the 1973 stock was specially designed for airporter service. They basically were the true modern tube stock. Along side the 67 stock their getting rid of perfectly good cars to get modern cars, then overhaul their modern cars to try to keep them on a little bit longer while the 73 Stock continues just getting regular maintenance. It is still doing its performance.good

[@adlam97531]

Action has always overhauled stock, and until the main works closed, major overhauls were done more frequently. They are now 30 years old and pressure is being put on TfL to make disabled access a priority also, so it makes sense to overhaul them now. The 73 stock was not without it's issues and it is now becoming end of life too.

[@Peter-mj6lz]

1973 tube stock was also overhauled. I think 92 stock was much more experimental though. The first tube stock to use externally hung doors, the only tube stock with wraparound windows inside the passenger compartment, since the tech it uses was progressing fast in the 80/90's it's more unique. I have heard that 1972 tube stock basically uses the same motors as 1938 tube stock, idk if this is true for the 73 tube stock as well. I know that although the 92 stock uses dc motors, it also uses transistors (I think) to help the train start and accelerate, which is what ac motor trains also use but more advanced versions. The 92 was made in a time of a lot of change regarding train design I think. I also heard it was built on the cheap which was a big mistake.

[@paulc4383]

Thyristor rather than transistor, although I'm still over simplifying.