Jubilee line puts on weight as cast iron army boards train

Recent brake testing for faster trains on the Jubilee line used hundreds of weights. Tube Lines, which is upgrading the line to increase the overall speed and frequency of trains, used over 90 tonnes of weights to simulate a fully loaded train and to test brake performance.

A series of tests was completed on a recent Saturday night when the Jubilee line was closed to passengers, helping Tube Lines progress towards the line upgrade which will be completed next year. The train’s emergency brakes were applied at intervals along the line, including at the steepest slopes near Bermondsey and west of Canning Town, where the track dives underground and passes under the Thames. Measurements of stopping distances will be compared with standard industry figures for train braking while temperature sensors embedded in the brake blocks will enable sophisticated computer modelling to aid system designs.

In one series of tests, some brakes were disabled to simulate the worst possible conditions a passenger train might encounter. This will contribute towards ensuring the safety of the new signalling system being installed by Tube Lines.

Organising the logistics of the testing was a significant challenge for the project team, involving careful co-ordination between many groups. Trans Plant, Tube Lines’ division providing specialist trains, delivered the weights to the Jubilee line depot in Stratford. A team of four people from Metronet completed the heavy work of loading the 720 weights onto and off the test train. London Underground signallers directed the trains involved. The Tube Lines project team liaised closely with its operational counterparts and fleet maintainers from Alstom throughout the weekend and ensured the train used in the tests was ready for passenger service on Monday morning.

David Orme, Tube Lines’ project engineer who led the tests, said:

“This gives a whole new meaning to the concept of ‘weighting’ for a train. The tests we completed will help us identify the intricate details of the new signalling system. When it’s introduced next year, passengers’ journeys along the Jubilee line will be faster and people will have to wait less time for a train.”     

ENDS

For further information, please contact:
Press office, Tube Lines: 020 7088 4848 / 07843 551 589

Notes to Editors

1. Tube Lines is responsible for the maintenance and upgrade of the infrastructure on the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines. London Underground is responsible for operating the Underground, for employing drivers and station staff, for ticketing and fares, and for the Tube’s safety regime.
2. The Tube Lines consortium consists of two shareholders – Amey and Bechtel. They bring together some of the most experienced providers of business services with specialist skills in the rail industry, including track and signal renewals, plus project and operational management. They are providing some of the best project and operational managers from around the world to work on the modernisation of the Tube system. Amey owns two-thirds of Tube Lines’ business and Bechtel one third.

If you would prefer not to receive future news from Tube Lines, please send an email to laura.wallace@tubelines.com with the subject heading “Unsubscribe”.