Mark Wild, managing director of London Underground, said: “The Central line is one of the busiest and most important lines on the London Underground network. We are making a number of improvements to reduce delays and make the line more reliable for our customers. Installing new motors is one of the most important parts of this work, and will mean we can deliver a more reliable service to our customers, which will in turn boost capacity.”
Bombardier’s re-traction project is part of LUL’s larger Central Line Improvement Programme (CLIP). The CLIP will bring a number of passenger-focussed improvements and is expected to significantly reduce customer-affecting failures on the Central line fleet.
For the programme, Bombardier will replace the DC traction motors on Central line trains with the latest MITRAC AC traction systems and MITRAC traction control equipment.
“This important contract win is testament to the significant improvements in energy consumption, reliability and performance of our BOMBARDIER MITRAC systems,” said Richard Hunter, managing director of Bombardier Transportation UK. “Bombardier has a long history of working with London Underground, and we continue to provide cutting edge technology across the tube network, playing a vital role in keeping London moving.”
The Central line ‘92 Tube Stock are the last London Underground trains to use DC traction motors, and MITRAC will bring significant benefits by reducing energy consumption while greatly improving fleet reliability and performance. In total, Bombardier will supply new motors and traction control equipment for 85 8-car Central line trains. The installation of the first train, plus associated vehicle integration works and testing will be undertaken at Bombardier’s site at Derby.
