My favorite routes in London (Part 2/2-Trains)

Hello and welcome to the fourth blog that has been written.

I will be conluding on my favorite routes in London with the trains this time.

Central Line (Epping/Woodford to West Ruislip and Ealing Broadway) 1992 Stock Trains

First up is Central Line. Central Line is operated by London Underground running from Epping/Woodford via Central London towards Ealing Broadway and West Ruislip. The allocation is 1992 stock trains. In my opinion, these are not that bad they accelerate and slow down pretty well. Also the frequency is good but to be honest it serves alot of stations (49) with 74km for the whole line so it makes sense to have alot of trains arriving at the station. One common downside though is the air conditioning. There is no air con on the train at all, unless you stand at the back near the middle of the train while the train is moving. Otherwise, it is a good train and I would recommend  riding it. Central Line began operating on the 30th June 1900.

Victoria Line (Walthamstow Central-Brixton) 2009 Stock Trains

Second is Victoria Line. Victoria Line is part of London Underground going from Walthamstow Central to Brixton via Central London areas. The trains that are used is 2009 stock trains. Now, I have only ridden the central areas of the lines but seriously this line is really reliable. If you miss a train the next one is in 1 MINUTE! Yes it is that fast serving 16 stations and a total of 21km. So this is no excuse then frequency wise - I wonder how the signalling system is managed here must be quite interesting to say the least- for the journey itself. The sounds are slightly similar to the S stocks when accelerating and decelerating but the train is amazing with real time announcements and delays to other lines which is impressive. So overall a huge fan of this train and hope to do the full journey in the future. The Victoria Line opened on 1st September 1968.

Jubilee Line (Stratford to Stanmore) 1996 Stock Trains

Third is the Jubilee Line. Jubilee Line is also run by London Underground from Stratford to Stanmore going past the main central stations. However, trains can commonly terminate at West Hampstead, Willesden Green or Wembley Park while in the other direction it can go to North Greenwich. The allocation here is 1996 stock trains that are great. The trains have last been refurbished in 2017 with the grey poles but there are still a few unrefurbished trains around containing yellow poles. Fast sections that show the best out of the train is West Ham to Canning Town and Canary Wharf to Canada Water. Again, frequency is reliable and has 27 stations in total with the total length of 36.2km. Air conditioning is okay on these trains but a few weeks ago Thursday was bad considering the heatwave and it felt like a microwave inside. Thankfully that day the Class 345 provided good air conditioning so I appreciated that alot. Jubliee Line opened on the 1st May 1979.

Great Northern (British Rail Class 365s)

Well the Class 365 joins the list next. The Class 365 is operated by Great Northern (formerly known as GOVIA) doing express services towards Ely, Kings Lynn and Peterborough. Great Northern's fleet consist of 313s (most are getting withdrawn), 365s, 387/1s, 700/1s, and 717s (replacing the 313s). Previously, the service was operated by First Capital Connect from the 1st April 2006-13 September 2014. That was when First decided to cease their train operations and replace the existing stock such as the Class 321s in 2016 with Class 387s. Since then most have been transferred over to Greater Anglia with some still the livery and a few to Scotrail. Anyway, Iam a huge fan of these trains because I remember them doing the stopping services e.g. Potters Bar, Hatfield. To this day, I really like the acceleration and the regenerative braking some of them have. Who knows how long they will go on for but I would give it a ride in my opinion. Great Northern took over First Capital Connect since autumn 2014.

Docklands Light Railway (Rolling Stock B90, B92 and B2K)

The DLR follows up. Docklands Light Railway operate a variety of lines e.g. Stratford-Woolwich Arsenal/Canary Wharf, Bank-Lewisham/Woolwich Arsenal and Tower Gateway to Beckton. There has been no refurbishment at all on the DLR stocks since they have been built. In total there are 45 stations on the line with the length of the line being 38km. The sections that I have been on is the Stratford-Lewisham branch was how it was before the line got shortened to Canary Wharf and the Beckton branch  which I only ridden from Canning Town-Custom House at present. Theres a reason why this train is unique: You can sit at the front of the train and enjoy the view! Yep, no kidding. Compared to other trains on the London Underground they mostly have the drivers cab but for these it is quite different and does not have it. Personally, these trains are very good especially the journeys around Canary Wharf which are really stunning. If there is one route that you should really try its definitely the DLR. Although, the frequency can be a bit long if you miss one but thats during off peak so it makes sense. Nevertheless, ride it you don't know what you are missing out on. DLR began to operate on the 31st August 1987.

TFL Rail (Class 345s)

Finally, its the Class 345s. The Class 345s are operated by TFL Rail on two lines between Liverpool Street and Shenfield and Paddington to Hayes and Harlington. Abelio Greater Anglia used to operate previously on the GEML before it was taken over in 2015 and Heathrow Connect did the Paddington to Heathrow Terminal 4 service until 2018. Now I have mainly ridden on the Liverpool Street - Shenfield section and personally I think these trains are good. These are a huge upgrade to the Class 315s which are still operating on the line meaning extra standing space (useful during rush hour)  very good air conditioning that is ideal during the summer time and more. Although some enthusiasts prefer the Class 315s for their motor sound, I think these trains fairly good. They run fully on weekends and through some rush hour services too. They are pretty much the same to the Class 710s which run on the London Overground. I have taken some Heathrow Connect trains in past and they are okay to be honest. TFL Rail began takeover of the Abelio Greater Anglia line on 31st May 2015 and Heathrow Connect in May 2018. 

Right here is the specification for the lines that I have mentioned in this post:



London Underground 1992 Stock

Constructed between: 1991-1994
Entered public service in: 1993
Stock replaced: British Rail Class 487, 1962 Stock
Manufacturer: British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL now known as Bombardier Transportation)
Built at: Derby Litchurch Lane Works
Maximum speed: 62mph

Lines served: Central and Waterloo and City lines
Last refurbishment: Central Line (in 2011) Waterloo and City (in 2006) - done by Wabtec Rail UK
Total bulit: 680 cars
Formed of: 8 cars (Central Line) 4 cars (Waterloo and City - makes sense as its really short)
Depots (where trains are kept): (Central Line) White City, Hainault and West Ruislip. (Waterloo and City Line) Waterloo.

This stock is a deep level tube meaning that it runs mainly underground.


London Underground 2009 Stock

Constructed between: 2007-2011
Entered public service in: 2009
Stock replaced: 1967 Stock
Manufacturer: Bombardier Transportation
Built at: Derby Litchurch Lane Works
Maximum speed: 50mph
Line served: Victoria
Last refurbishment: None at present
Total bulit: 47 cars
Formed of: 8 cars
Depot: Northumberland Park

This train stays underground the whole time unless it is going back to the depot. It is one of two lines to run underground.




London Underground 1996 Stock

Constructed between: 1996-1998 and 2005
Entered public service in: 1997
Stock replaced: 1983 Stock
Manufacturer: GEC Alsthom Metro Cammell (known as Alsthom)
Built at: Washwood Heath, Birmingham
Maximum speed: 62mph
Line served: Jubilee
Last refurbishment: 2017 but at the time of publish there are still trains unrefurbished
Total bulit: 441 cars
Formed of: 7 cars
Depots: Neasden and Stratford Market.

This is another train that also runs deep level through the central sections.





British Rail Class 365

Constructed between: 1994-1995
Entered public service in: 1995
Stock replaced: None
Manufacturer: Previously known as BREL York in 1970 until it was changed to ABB York in 1989.
Built at: York
Maximum speed: 100mph
Line served: Great Northern
Last refurbishment: 2013-2016
Total bulit: 41 units (however one was involved in the Potters Bar rail crash in 2002)
Formed of: 4 to 8 cars
Depot: Hornsey (possibly but unsure)

Mainly used for national rail services on express routes such as London Kings Cross to Cambridge, Peterborough and Ely. However some were on lease to Scotrail, so they should be coming back fairly soon.




Docklands Light Railway Rolling stock B90/B92/B2K/B07 

Constructed between: 1991 (B90) 1993-1995 (B92) 2001-2002 (B2K) 2005 (B07)
Entered public service in: 1991 (B90) 1993 (B92) 2001 (B2K) 2008 (B07)
Stock replaced: P86 and P89 stock
Manufacturer: Bombardier Transportation
Bulit at: Brugge, Belgium (B90/B92/B2K) Bautzen, Germany (B07)
Maximum speed: 50mph
Line served: Docklands Light Railway
Last refurbishment: 2004 (all the units* and 2013 mainly to the front of the train for the B90/B92 and B2K only)
Total bulit: 149 cars
Formed of: 2 to 3 cars
Depots: Poplar and Beckton depot.

The B stands for Beckton DLR depot where the trains are maintained and kept at. Whereas P standed for Poplar for the previous stocks P86 and P89.

*In 2004 the B90,B92 and B2K stocks, was refurbished containing a different livery: red and blue including grey doors. As mentioned before, the front of the train was repainted black 9 years after (2013) matching the B07 stock that you will see currently.



British Rail Class 345

Constructed between: 2015-2019
Entered public service in: 2017
Stock replaced: Class 315 (in progress) Class 360
Manufacturer: Bombardier Transportation
Bulit at: Derby Litchurch Lane Works
Maximum speed: 90mph
Line served: TFL Rail (to be Crossrail)
Last refurbishment: Since most are still being built, they have not been refurbished.
Total bulit: 70 are supposed to built for Crossrail
Formed of: 7 cars at present (when Crossrail is close to opening then it will be extended to 9 cars)
Depots: Old Oak Common and Ilford

These trains run overground for the time being but when Crossrail opens then it will also run underground.

Features of the Class 345

• Walkthrough carriages meaning you can walk from the front to the back similar to the S7/S8 stocks and Class 710s
• Air conditioned throughout 
• Passenger information system showing/announcing the next station and current service on the London Underground 
• Wifi introduced and 4G to be included soon

And that is it for now. Hope you enjoyed this one.


Thank you for reading this blog, have a good day and happy riding! :)