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Post by cudsn15 on May 3, 2024 7:35:15 GMT
As a daily user of the northern section I have observed the whole of the Victoria line has deteriorated of late, particularly the state of the trains themselves:
Seats are filthy, shabby and falling apart (exposed metalwork on many seats now), floors dirty with many areas bubbling up, carriage lights out, graffiti...I've heard wheel flats on a number of carriages also!
The air vents are clogged and ineffectual and occasionally spit out black soot and fibres at the poor unsuspecting passengers.
The stations are also filthy with lighting failing (fluorescents getting darker with continual use and age and not working or missing), cladding panels loose or missing entirely, clocks dead. (wish they would sort out the incorrect countdowns at stations (Victoria line minutes are longer than any other line!) and the completely useless "stand back train approaching" notice then a whole minute before the train actually does thunder in to the station.
The ventilation shafts that were expensively refurbished a few years ago also appear to be ineffectual in dissipating the intense heat of the line (and it's only May!)
That it's actually running and generally getting people from A to B is the only good thing - though I have noticed longer gaps between trains recently.
Compare with the Piccadilly line which has recovered somewhat from the service failures earlier in the year has carriages with seating much cleaner and in good repair, flooring immaculate even up to the corners! bright and consistent lighting - only let down by the incredibly shabby external appearances - understandable perhaps because of their expected replacement in the next 18 months or so negating the cost of replacing external vinyl's perhaps.
When you can compare between lines it does make you wonder why some lines can do a good job and others fail so miserably.
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Post by A60stock on May 3, 2024 15:49:57 GMT
I think in the case of the 1973 stock, some parts were changed and renewed such as the floors and seats in the last 7 or 8 years, so they will look newer. Most of the older stock was in much more need of cosmetic work (compared to the almost new 09 stock at the time) and this was generally addressed, although not in all cases - look at the state of the 1992s now!
I believe the 09 stock has not had anything changed on it, so that's around 15 years of wear and tear without a single change for intensively used trains. It is definitely about time they received a light refresh, especially the seats and I am surprised these havent got the newer barman style yet, as theyre the only deep level stock not to have them. Im sure its only a matter of time before we say the same about the S Stock.
As for the issues with the stations, I cannot really figure why. I guess its the same sort of situation - a fair few of them are still in original condition, being amongst the newer station structures and platforms on the network (yes, 60s count as newer!), compared to those on other lines, built much earlier, which have been updated or refurbished as they were more urgent to address.
I agree though, its about time the Victoria line received some cosmetic work on the trains and some stations to reflect what a good and modern line this really is.
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Post by Dstock7080 on May 3, 2024 19:11:30 GMT
I believe the 09 stock has not had anything changed on it, so that's around 15 years of wear and tear without a single change for intensively used trains. That is certainly not true, regenerative braking was activated once all the trains had entered service and this reduced the extreme heat that was previously generated by the rheostatic system. Also, the internal ventilation ducting has been completely changed from a bellows type to smooth aluminium tubing to remove the turbulence of air within the ducting, and give a stronger output into the car. |
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Post by A60stock on May 3, 2024 23:23:12 GMT
I believe the 09 stock has not had anything changed on it, so that's around 15 years of wear and tear without a single change for intensively used trains. That is certainly not true, regenerative braking was activated once all the trains had entered service and this reduced the extreme heat that was previously generated by the rheostatic system. Also, the internal ventilation ducting has been completely changed from a bellows type to smooth aluminium tubing to remove the turbulence of air within the ducting, and give a stronger output into the car. I should have said minimal has changed overall, however judging by the initial post, much of this was a reference to the cosmetical condition of the trains, to which I would still say close to nothing has been done since introduction. |
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Post by grumpycat on May 21, 2024 11:46:47 GMT
I don't know if it's related here but saw one of the units whilst passing NUM on the train that one has tarpaulin on the cab door. Has hit had a minor collision or something?
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Post by seaeagle on May 21, 2024 14:03:57 GMT
I don't know if it's related here but saw one of the units whilst passing NUM on the train that one has tarpaulin on the cab door. Has hit had a minor collision or something? Yes a couple months ago there was a prang at Northumberland Park depot |
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Post by jimbo on May 21, 2024 20:51:51 GMT
Even although speed is strictly controlled in manual operation! They couldn't stop short. Hope no one was hurt.
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Chris M
Global Moderator
Forum Quizmaster
Always happy to receive quiz ideas and pictures by email or PM
Posts: 19,781
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Post by Chris M on May 22, 2024 1:17:32 GMT
As long as humans are involved there is the opportunity for human error.
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Post by brigham on May 22, 2024 7:28:10 GMT
"Human Error! The last enemy in a technological world."
Morgan C. Devereux.
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Post by seaeagle on May 22, 2024 8:26:10 GMT
Even although speed is strictly controlled in manual operation! They couldn't stop short. Hope no one was hurt. I have been told what happened and it was human error. No one was injured. |
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Post by jimbo on May 22, 2024 9:34:08 GMT
We'll learn how easily repairable the new trains are now.
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Post by roverlei on May 27, 2024 8:42:36 GMT
I love the maquette design on the Victoria line but have often noted how quickly it became grubby. The darker colours work best!
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Post by Alight on Jun 9, 2024 9:39:14 GMT
The ventilation shafts that were expensively refurbished a few years ago also appear to be ineffectual in dissipating the intense heat of the line (and it's only May!) This is a very good observation. Indeed, the only "whoosh!" sound I hear/feel across the entire line is on the southbound from FB to H&I, which is a connection to the old Northern City running tunnels rather than a purpose-built shaft. All other shafts appear to be switched off, or if they are assisted by mechanisation, this isn't discernible and the impact appears negligible. Or maybe the line really would be that slight bit hotter without them? - but it's hard to accept that from the passenger perspective. It's funny you should compare other line features to those of the Piccadilly line, because I think the same can be done with the topic of shafts. The northern end of the Piccadilly line is lovely and cool and there is clear evidence (and sounds!) of the vent shafts in action between MH & TPL and WG & BG. I rarely feel hot when I use this section and so the new air con trains will probably be more useful for the open-air sections on a hot day! It's funny because meme culture always disproportionately pokes fun at the Central line as the sweltering line on a hot day, presumably because there is more dramatic impact with the connotations of the word 'central'. However, I use both the Central and Victoria lines nearly every day and the latter is hotter in my experience. |
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vincenture
Quiz tryhard, and an advocate for simpler, less complicated rail routes
Posts: 885
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Post by vincenture on Aug 24, 2024 16:17:12 GMT
Regarding flatwheel problems, I’ve yet to get insights from the community here or YouTubers regarding how exactly flat spots may sound like for each rolling stock.
However, what I can say is wheel replacement or rather its supply chain has deteriorated since covid. It is a global supply chain issue which not only affected Malaysian trains, but also Singaporean trains. So hang tight and hope more spare parts come.
Currently, many trains here in SouthEast asia would be running till the wheels are quite worned out before getting reprofiled or replaced
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Post by seaeagle on Aug 24, 2024 18:10:50 GMT
Regarding flatwheel problems, I’ve yet to get insights from the community here or YouTubers regarding how exactly flat spots may sound like for each rolling stock. The sounds will be near enough the same for most stock, how the track is laid will change the sounds, i.e laid on ballast, concrete base etc |
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