| London Underground 1996 Stock |
Article Index for London Underground |
Website Links For London |
Information AboutLondon Underground 1996 Stock |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT LONDON UNDERGROUND 1996 STOCK | |
| london underground electric multiple units | |
| 1996 | |
|
The fleet of 1996 Stock, running on the London Underground's Jubilee Line , is currently the second-most modern on the network (confusingly, the 1995 Stock on the Northern Line is more technologically advanced and was delivered later than the 1996 Stock). The 1996 Stock was purchased to support the opening of the newest section of the Jubilee Line (known as the Jubilee Line Extension ), which runs from Green Park to Stratford . However, delays in the JLE's opening meant that 1996 Stock was introduced, completely replacing the existing fleet of 1983 Stock , between Christmas Eve 1997 and July 1998 - over a year before the JLE was opened. The existing trains (1983 stock) were orginally planned to be refurbished with the same exterior and interior as the new stock (1996 stock) even with double doors, but the cost proved prohibitive. Both the 1996 Stock and the similar 1995 Stock found on the Northern Line were built by Alstom in Birmingham , but there are differences between the two types. In particular, the Jubilee Line trains feature an obsolete GTO Thyristor instead of the more modern IGBT Thyristor found on the Northern Line trains. The use of a GTO thyristor is responsible for the 1996 Stock's distinctive noise under acceleration, which sounds as if the trains were "revving up and then dropping a gear". The 1995 and 1996 stock also have different seating layouts and cab designs. The 1996 Stock is operated mainly with a dead man's handle at the driver's right hand. When the train is stopped the top of the handle is turned away from the position in which the driver holds it. To depart the driver turns the top of the handle and pushes the red lever forward. The trains were originally designed for Automatic Train Operation as on the Victoria Line, although this will not be enabled until a signalling upgrade in some years' time. ADDITION OF SEVENTH CAR During early 2005 London Underground announced that it would be adding a seventh car to the existing Jubilee Line fleet, and also adding four new complete trains. So from December 25, 2005, the line was closed for completion of the seventh car conversion, including signalling alterations and software modification to the platform screen doors on the JLE. The original plan was to hot-wire two cars so the onboard computer would 'see' them as one car, but this proved not to be necessary. The platforms were already long enough for seven-car trains throughout the line, and the JLE screen doors had been built with space for a seventh car. The line was scheduled to close for five days, but the efficiency of Alstom and Tube Lines meant that the line re-opened two days ahead of schedule. There were various differences between the new and old cars at the time of introduction:
Many of these are likely to change as the old cars undergo refurbishment. The new cars are numbered 96601 to 96725. The door seal on the new cars still states '1996', because of the national production rules. Following the introduction, an upgrade to the passenger information system has been introduced, resulting in next station announcements playing on approach to stations. A simple way of noticing if you are in a new carriage is due to the noise of the doors sliding, it being quieter on the new stock. If you are in a new train, there is a noticable difference of volume from the GTO Thyristor , again this is quieter on the new stock. The seat covers were a purple and grey moqette. They formed the letter 'J' for jubilee (also the northern lines moquete forms the letter 'N') during november 2005 the old cars were refurbished and these seat covers were replaced with the new dark blue tube lines moqette. It features multi-coloured and multi-size hollow squares. The new cars were ordered with this moquette. The piccadilly lines 1973 stock also have this moquette. The armrests were purple but have been repainted blue to match the new seat covers. However this was a late change and the new stock have purple armrests although this has been resolved. TRAIN DETAILS
Weight
|
|
|