Trains 18
Introduction
There are two distinct types of train on the London Underground: the larger surface stock operating in the original cut-and-cover construction twin-track tunnels on the Circle, District, East London, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan Lines; and the smaller tube stock running in the single-track deep-level tunnels on the Bakerloo, Central, Jubilee, Northern, Piccadilly, Victoria and Waterloo & City Lines. Tube gauge cars are 750mm (2 ft 6 in) lower in height than surface stock, with a floor height above rail level of 610mm (2 ft) compared with 980mm (3 ft 3 in) on surface stock.

Almost all Underground trains are made up of two units consisting of three or four cars permanently coupled together. Common to all the lines on the London Underground is both the gauge of the tracks, which is the standard 1,435mm (4 ft 8½ in), and the electric supply system, 630 volts dc (direct current) with separate positive and negative rails.

The carriages are always known as cars on the London Underground, reflecting the influence of American finance on the rapid expansion of the system in the early years of the 20th century. Trains on all lines are one-person operated, except the Northern Line which will retain guards to operate the doors pending delivery of new trains currently on order.

For many years, the aluminium bodies of Underground trains were left unpainted. When graffiti became a widespread problem from the mid-1980s, the difficulty of removing the paint completely left them looking unattractive. Every train is now being given a standard London Underground livery with red fronts and doors and white and blue sides. Special paint is used from which it is a simple task to remove graffiti.

This fact sheet lists the distinctive features of the trains on each line.

Bakerloo Line
The Bakerloo Line has a fleet of 35 trains of 1972 Mark Two tube stock, of which 31 are required for peak period service. These trains are seven-car versions of the eight-car 1967 tube stock trains operating automatically on the Victoria Line. They share with 1967 tube stock the design feature of wrap-round driver's windows, but they are manually driven by the train operator. They were built by Metro-Cammell in Birmingham and underwent mid-life refurbishment by Tickford Rail Limited at Rosyth Royal Dockyard between 1991 and 1995.

1972 Mark Two tube stock car statistics
 
Length 15,980mm - 16,080 mm (52 ft 5 in - 52 ft 9 in)
Width 2,640mm (8 ft 8 in)
Height 2,870mm (9 ft 5 in)
Unladen weight 18.4 - 28.2 tonnes (18.1 - 27.8 tons)
Passenger accommodation per car
Seated 36 - 40
Standing 130 - 156
Total 170 - 194
Passenger capacity per train (seven cars) 1 280

The Bakerloo Line's depots are at Stonebridge Park, Queen's Park and London Road, Lambeth, with additional siding space at Elephant & Castle.

Central Line (also Waterloo & City Line)
The Central Line has a fleet of 85 eight-car trains of 1992 tube stock built by ABB Transportation in Derby, of which 72 are required for peak period service. There are five identical four-car trains on the Waterloo & City Line, with four in service in peak periods. The trains entered service between 1993 and 1995, and incorporate the latest automatic train operation technology (not yet implemented, pending the introduction of new moving block signalling).

The doors on 1992 tube stock trains are wider than on other trains on the Underground to allow speedier entry and exit for passengers, and are mounted on the outside of the trains to provide more internal space. Passenger-operated open and close buttons have been fitted, offering a valued facility in winter when only those doors through which passengers wish to board and alight are opened, thereby ensuring the minimum loss of train heat at open-air stations. There are windows at the ends of the cars to improve passenger security, and all the windows along the sides of these trains curve up towards the roof enabling standing passengers to read station names signs on platforms more easily. There are additionally automatic digitised announcements at stations for the benefit of passengers with sight impairment. A doors closing beep also assists these passengers.

Every axle has a motor for smooth and rapid acceleration (important for improving train frequency), and regenerative braking is provided to recycle energy. As a safety aid, the driver has television screens in his cab showing the platform while the train is approaching, standing at and leaving a station. The driver can make announcements to passengers and they additionally can speak to the driver in an emergency.

(Each Central line train consists of two four-car units. Each Waterloo & City Line train consists of one four-car unit)
 
Length 16,250mm (53 ft 4 in)
Width 2,620mm (8 ft 7 in)
Height 2,870mm (9 ft 5 in)
Unladen weight 20.5 - 22.5 tonnes (20.2 - 22.1 tons)
Passenger accommodation per car
Seated 34
Standing 162 - 176
Total 196 - 210
Passenger capacity per train (eight cars) 1 652

The Central Line's depôts are at Ruislip, White City and Hainault, with additional siding space at Woodford and Loughton. The Waterloo and City Line depôt is at Waterloo.

Circle Line
(also Hammersmith & City Line and District Line, Edgware Road to Wimbledon, service)
The Circle Line requires a maximum of 14 C stock trains and the peak period Hammersmith and City Line service requires a further 16. A maximum of ten trains of the same rolling stock runs on the Edgware Road service of the District Line where the shorter platforms exclude that Line's D stock trains. In all there are 35 six-car trains which entered service in 1970-1971, known as C69 stock, and 11 introduced from 1978, known as C77 stock. The unique feature of these trains is the four sets of double doors in each car to cater for the heavy loadings and relatively short journeys made on the Circle Line by passengers travelling to and from the many main line railway termini along the route. C stock trains have a doors closing beep to assist sight-impaired passengers.

The C stock trains were built by Metro-Cammell in Birmingham, and underwent mid-life refurbishment by RFS Industries in Doncaster between 1991 and 1994.

C69 and C77 surface stock car statistics
 
Length 14,940mm - 16,030mm (49 ft 0 in - 52 ft 7 in)
Width 2,920mm (9 ft 7 in)
Height 3,680mm (12 ft 1 in)
Unladen weight 20.5 - 32.2 tonnes (20.2 - 31.7 tons)
Passenger accommodation per car
Seated 32
Standing 180
Total 212
Passenger capacity per train (six cars) 1 272

The C stock trains are allocated to Hammersmith Depôt, and are additionally stabled in sidingss at Barking, Edgware Road, Farringdon, Parsons Green and between Earl's Court and High Street Kensington stations (Triangle Sidings).

District Line 20
(for trains serving the Edgware Road branch, see Circle Line)
For its main operation between Upminster in east London and Richmond, Ealing Broadway and Wimbledon to the west and south west, together with the shuttle link to and from Olympia, the District Line has a fleet of 75 six-car D78 stock trains, of which 66 are required for peak period service. As on the Picadilly Line (1973 tube stock) and the Jubilee Line (1983 tube stock), the length of D78 stock cars is greater than had hitherto been the standard. The two distinguishing features of D stock trains are the four wide single-leaf doors, as on Jubilee Line trains, and the tube stock size wheels introduced as a first stop towards providing greater standardisation. The trains were built by Metro-Cammell in Birmingham and entered service between 1979 and 1983.

D78 stock car statistics
 
Length 18,130mm - 18 370mm (59 ft 6 in - 60 ft 3 in)
Width 2,850mm (9 ft 4 in)
Height 3,620mm (11 ft 10 in)
Unladen weight 18.7 - 27.9 tonnes (18.4 - 27.5 tons)
Passenger accommodation per car
Seated 44 - 48
Standing 178 - 184
Total 222 - 232
Passenger capacity per train (six cars) 1,372

The District Line's depôts are at Upminster and Ealing Common, with additional sidings space at Parsons Green and Barking.

East London Line - see Metropolitan Line

Hammersmith and City Line - see Circle Line

Jubilee Line
The 30.5 Jubilee Line trains of six-car 1983 tube stock were constructed by Metro-Cammell in Birmingham and entered service between 1984 and 1988. A maximum of 24 trains is required for peak period service.

As on the Piccadilly Line (1973 tube stock) and District Line (D stock), the cars of Jubilee Line trains are longer than what had hitherto been the standard. The trains have wide, single-leaf doors as on the District Line, with a doors closing beep to assist sight-impaired passengers.

1983 tube stock car statistics
 
Length 17,680mm - 17,730mm (58 ft 0 in - 58 ft 2 in)
Width 2,630mm (8 ft 8 in)
Height 2,880mm (9 ft 5 in)
Unladen weight 20.4 - 26.3 tonnes (20.1 - 25.9 tons)
Passenger accommodation per car
Seated 48
Standing 139 - 161
Total 187 - 209
Passenger capacity per train (six cars) 1,166

The Jubilee Line's depôt is at Neasden, with additional sidings space at Stanmore.

The 1983 tube stock trains will all be withdrawn from the Jubilee Line as new 1996 tube stock is delivered. 59 of these new trains are being purchased to operate on the whole of the extended Jubilee Line to Stratford.

Metropolitan Line (also East London Line) 21
The Metropolitan Line has a fleet of 53 eight-car trains and one four-car train of A60 and A62 stock, of which 42 are required for peak period service. These trains were designed for longer-distance journeys with entirely transverse high-backed seating and no seats over the wheels facing inwards as on other Underground trains. A further five four-car trains are allocated to the East London Line (which is currently closed for refurbishment), all of which are required for the peak service.

The A stock trains were built by Cravens in Sheffield and entered service between 1961 and 1963 after the line had been electrified to Amersham and Chesham and electric and steam locomotive-hauled trains had been withdrawn. The trains are being refurbished by ABB Transportation in Derby in a programme due to be completed in 1997.

A60 and A62 stock statistics
 
Length 16,170mm (53 ft 1 in)
Width 2,950mm (9 ft 8 in)
Height 3,890mm (12 ft 1 in)
Unladen weight 21.8 - 32.1 tonnes (21.5 - 31.6 tons)
Passenger accommodation per car
Seated 54 - 58
Standing 117 - 127
Total 171 - 185
Passenger capacity per train (eight cars) 1,424

The Metropolitan Line's main depôt is at Neasden, with additional facilities for stabling trains at Uxbridge, Rickmansworth and Wembley Park. The East London Line's depot is at New Cross.

Northern Line
The Northern Line has a fleet of 20 trains of 1972 Mark One tube stock, and a further 79 trains of 1959 and 1962 tube stock. Of these 99 trains, 84 are required for peak period service. The 1972 Mark One tube stock trains are seven-car versions of the eight-car 1967 tube stock trains operating on the Victoria Line. They share with 1967 tube stock the design feature of wrap-round driver's windows, but they are manually driven by the train operator, with a guard to control the operation of the doors. They were built by Metro-Cammell in Birmingham and entered service between 1972 and 1975.

The older trains of 1959 and 1962 tube stock, also crew-operated, were built by Metro-Cammell, initially entering service on the Central and Piccadilly Lines between 1959 and 1964. They were gradually transferred to the Northern Line between 1975 and 1994. A complete fleet of new one-person operated trains is on order for the Northern Line and these trains are due to start entering service in late 1997.

1972 Mark One tube stock car statistics
 
Length 15,980mm - 16,080mm (52 ft 5 in - 52 ft 9 in)
Width 2,640mm (8 ft 8 in)
Height 2,870mm (9 ft 5 in)
Unladen weight 18.9 - 28.7 tonnes  (18.6 - 28.2 tons)
Passenger accommodation per car
Seated 36 - 40
Standing 130 - 156
Total 170 - 194
Passenger capacity per train (seven cars) 1,258

1959/1962 tube stock statistics
 
Length 15,620mm - 16,150mm (51 ft 3 in - 53 ft 0 in)
Width 2,600mm (8 ft 6 in)
Height 2,880mm (9 ft 5 in)
Unladen weight  2,1.0 - 27.0 tonnes (20.7 - 26.6 tons)
Passenger accommodation per car
Seated 40 - 42
Standing 102 - 138
Total 144 - 178
Passenger capacity per train (seven cars) 1,164

The Northern Line main depôts are Morden and Golders Green, with additional train stabling space at Highgate, Edgware and High Barnet.

Piccadilly Line
The 86.5 Piccadilly Line trains of six-car 1973 stock were constructed by Metro-Cammell in Birmingham and entered service between 1975 and 1978. A maximum of 76 trains is required for peak period service.

As on the Jubilee Line (1983 tube stock) and District Line (D stock), the length of Piccadilly Line cars is greater than had hitherto been the standard. The trains have additional space inside the doors for the hand-held luggage of passengers travelling to and from Heathrow Airport. The trains are being refurbished by Bombardier Prorail in a programme due to be completed in 1999.

1973 tube stock car statistics
 
Length 17,410mm - 17,480mm (57 ft 2 in - 57 ft 4 in)
Width 2,630mm (8 ft 8 in)
Height 2,880mm (9 ft 5 in)
Unladen weight 18.5 - 27.6 tonnes (18.2 - 27.1 tons)
Passenger accommodation per car
Seated 44
Standing 142 - 166
Total 186 - 210
Passenger capacity per train (six cars) 1,164 -1212

The Piccadilly Line's main depôts are at Northfields and Cockfosters, with additional sidings space at Acton Town and Arnos Grove.

Victoria Line
The Victoria Line has a fleet of 43 trains, mostly of 1967 tube stock, of which 37 are required for peak period service. These trains are eight-car forerunners of the seven-car 1972 tube stock trains operating on the Northern and Bakerloo Lines, 28 cars of which were converted for service on the Victoria Line fleet between 1987 and 1989.

The Victoria Line is currently the only automatically operated London Underground line, with the train operator responsible for the safe operation of the doors and for giving the train the signal to proceed to the next station.

The original trains were built by Metro-Cammell in Birmingham (as were the converted cars) and entered service between 1968 and 1971. They underwent mid-life refurbishment by Tickford Rail Limited at Rosyth Royal Dockyard between 1991 and 1995.

1967 tube stock car statistics
 
Length 15,980mm - 16,080mm (52 ft 5 in - 52 ft 9 in)
Width 2,640mm (8 ft 8in)
Height 2,870mm (9 ft 5 in)
Unladen weight 20.6 - 30.9 tonnes (20.3 - 30.4 tons)
Passenger accommodation per car
Seated 36 - 40
Standing 130 - 156
Total 170 - 192
Passenger capacity per train (eight cars) 1,448

The Victoria Line depôt is at Northumberland Park, with additional train stabling at Walthamstow Central and Brixton.