MAJOR WORKS TO IMPROVE VICTORIA LINE SERVICES THIS SUMMER
Improvement work planned this summer by London Underground (LU) will lead to the operation of 36 trains per hour.
From April 2016, this will provide a train every 100 seconds during peak hours, making the Victoria line the UK’s highest frequency railway and comparable with the very best in the world, say Transport for London.
All peak-time trains will run the full length of t
he line from Walthamstow Central to Brixton, giving a 40 per cent capacity boost for customers northeast of Seven Sisters.
The Victoria line now carries more than 200 million passengers each year and as on the rest of the Tube network demand keeps rising.
At present only 24 trains per hour can be run beyond Seven Sisters due to the layout of the points at Walthamstow Central crossover, which transfers northbound trains to the southbound line for their return journey. Renewal of the crossover is essential to achieve 36 trains per hour.
From Saturday 8 August to Sunday 30 August London Underground will rebuild the crossover, replacing the concrete track-bed and the rails and point work.
During this period all northbound Victoria line trains will only go as far as Seven Sisters.
The nature and scale of the work means it is not possible to do it during the very limited engineering hours available at nights and weekends, a TfL statement added. (Source: TfL press release.)
FREE WI-FI TO HELP COMMUTERS STAY CONNECTED
Rail passengers will benefit from free wi-fi on trains across England and Wales from 2017, rail minister Claire Perry has announced.
Train operators are being asked to set how they will meet the commitment to provide this important service for passengers.
All train operators bidding for new franchises and direct award agreements will have to include this specification in their bid.
Where there is no new franchise agreement due in the next two years, almost £50 million of funding will be released from the Department for Transport to ensure wi-fi is available on selected services from 2017. The operators in this group are:
Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN)
Southeastern
Chiltern
Arriva Trains Wales.
Claire Perry said: “Free wi-fi is a priority for many as being able to keep up with work, connect with friends or even check the latest journey information online helps make rail travel more productive.” (Source: DfT press release.)
