Tube Lines, which provides maintenance and upgrades for the London underground system has reached a major milestone in the 2009 signal upgrade programme by fitting out all 63 Jubilee Line trains with new signalling equipment and onboard computers.
The new equipment will allow the trains to operate on the new signalling system uses a train-based computer that connects with an electrical induction loop between the rails to record each train's position with pinpoint accuracy.
This system enables a train to report its exact location to a control centre and in response the centre will send out a message telling trains how fast they need to go to maintain a safe distance from the train in front.
This mean that trains will no longer need to be spaced out according to fixed signalling blocks but can safely run closer together and move along the line much faster.
The system will also allow the trains to pull up at exactly the right spot on platforms without driver assistance.
Once completed the signal upgrade project is expected to increase train times providing a capacity increase of 25% on the Jubilee Line by 2010 and a 30% upgrade on the Northern Line by 2012.
Project manager at Tube Lines, Andrew Clark said that they would now switch their attention to the Northern Line, this time repeating the process on 106 trains.
"By the time the Olympic and Para-Olympic Games arrive in London, the Jubilee and Northern line upgrades will be up and running and will mean quicker train rides for more passengers to events in East London and Olympic Park in Stratford," Clark said.
Work on the Jubilee Line trains was completed in record time, reducing the initial work time estimate from three months a train to just fifteen days.
By Daniel Garrun.
