Crossrail's £1 billion fleet of new trains was revealed today — but passengers will face an even greater battle to find a seat.
The number of seats per carriage is being cut from around 75 to 50, meaning 1,050 of the 1,500 people who can be carried on the new nine- carriage trains will have to stand.
Services will start running on the eastern end of the Crossrail route, between Liverpool Street and Shenfield, in May 2017. The rest of the long-awaited £15 billion route — to Heathrow, Reading and Abbey Wood via Canary Wharf — will be operating by 2019. It will carry 200 million passengers a year and add 10 per cent to London’s rail capacity.
The fleet of 66 trains, being made in Derby by Bombardier, will have a mixture of “metro-style” seating seen on the London Overground and “bays” used on the Metropolitan line.
A TfL spokeswoman said the new Crossrail trains would have 454 seats, compared to 632 on existing eight-carriage trains to Shenfield. She said passengers would have a similar chance of getting a seat as the Crossrail services would be more frequent.
First-look: Inside a new Crossrail train
The new carriages will be walk-through and equipped with free WiFi and access to 4G. At 200m long, the 90mph trains will be more than 50 per cent longer than the longest Tube train.Transport for London said the interiors had been designed to create a “welcoming environment”, with darker floors and natural colours that will “wear in, and not wear out”. There will be four dedicated wheelchair spaces on each train, and fold-down seats to accommodate prams and luggage.
Mayor Boris Johnson said that the “feature-packed, eye-catching machines” showcased the best of British design and engineering.
“The largest construction project in Europe is another tantalising step closer to becoming a brand new working railway for the capital,” he added.Rail minister Claire Perry said: “The spacious layout and longer trains will provide a significant boost to London’s rail capacity, meaning better journeys for passengers, and transforming the way people travel between east and west.
“I look forward to seeing the first train off the Derby production line next year, where this contract is supporting hundreds of jobs and apprenticeships.”