New Victoria Line Trains Have Proven To Be Disastrous

Another transport related story that caught the eye in

yesterday’s Evening Standard in which the new trains being used on the Victoria

line have been slammed for making travelling a nightmare for commuters. Two

major shutdowns in a week have condemned the new trains to being labelled as '23

times less reliable than the 43-year-old trains they are replacing'.

The first new trains to feature in the London Underground

for a decade should have completely modernised the tube, but having got off to

the worst possible start TfL were prompted to embarrassingly having to confess

that the problems stemmed from “computer software failures and from

over-sensitive door sensors, which apply the brakes when passengers lean

against the doors.” Is this passing the blame onto passengers? How are

commuters supposed to know this would be the case? And in rush-hour when the

trains are so compact on one of London’s busiest tube lines, why was the

potential problem of over-sensitive doors not thought of beforehand?

Last Wednesday one of the new trains broke down in Pimlico

station trapping 3,000 travellers in “furnace-like” carriages. Ambulances had

to come to the rescue in the end. On Monday a second new train broke down at

Oxford Circus forcing the whole line to be suspended for about an hour.

So far, it seems, the £900 million upgrade has been a major disaster

for TfL and a slap in the face to every commuter who has suffered. Let us know

what you think about the new upgrade and indeed if you were caught up in one of

the broken down trains.