Page 19 - Rail Supplies Buyers Guide 2024-25

company News
17
On Track For a Cool Future
It’s not that easy to install air conditioning on London Underground trains, but it can be done, as Anthony O’Connor, factory manager at LH-plc, explains.
The London Underground has a long and eventful history. It began with the grand opening in 1863 of the Metropolitan Line between Paddington and Farringdon, which served just six intermediate stations. Since then, the ‘Tube’, has grown to 272 stations and 11 lines stretching deep into London’s suburbs and beyond.
Many seemingly intractable problems have been solved over the years with advances in technology, but there is one relatively new challenge that has proven particularly hard to crack – how to deal with the build-up of excessive heat – a consequence of increased passenger numbers and global warming.
Temperatures as high as a blistering 47°C have been recorded on some parts of the tube system and the average temperature in summer months is typically more than 30°C. Some tube lines (including the Circle, Hammersmith & City, District, and Metropolitan) do have air conditioning. However, Central, Bakerloo, Jubilee, Victoria,
Piccadilly, Waterloo & City, and Northern, do not.
It is not only passengers who suffer from high temperatures. One driver described the conditions as being “like an absolute steam room in the driving cab during the summer”. Another said: “Temperature often exceeds 40°C and, on many shifts, I’m left feeling physically sick due to the heat.”
The problem is that the oldest tunnels built in the Victorian era are just about big enough for the trains themselves, making it next to impossible to make room to add air conditioning equipment to them. There is, however, to coin a phrase, ‘some light at the end of the tunnel’.
New train designs mean that the Piccadilly line should be enjoying air conditioning next year, while the Central, Bakerloo and Waterloo & City lines are all due upgrades in the near future. According to Transport for London (TfL), 94 trains will make up the new fleet entering service next year.
Expert railway cooling support
The best way to ensure railway air conditioning is working as it should is to join forces with a trusted, well-established partner.
RISQS (the Railway Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme) registered LH-plc carries out work on behalf of many of the major UK rail carriers as well as Transport for London (TFL). Its skilled team of specialist engineers boast more than 30 years’ experience in this sector, having developed extensive knowledge and unique engineering skills focused on the requirements of railway air conditioning systems, with first-rate assessment facilities to ensure railway air conditioning systems sent for refurbishment are processed and returned to service in the best possible working condition.
Once systems have been serviced or refurbished, LH- plc conducts a monitored full load test to ensure the unit performs to specification and thus to offer peace of mind.
For more information, visit here. Alternatively, call LH-plc on 020 8971 4186 or email us at sales@lh-plc.co.uk www.lh-plc.co.uk.
www.lh-plc.co.uk
www.yourguides.net
Rail SuPPliES & SERvicES 2024