ACR-News

TRAINS on the district line will be air conditioned by 2010, London Underground announced today.
As well as the district line, other partly above-ground lines such as the Circle, Metropolitan and Hammersmith and City lines will be fitted with air conditioning by 2010.

This summer 40 industrial-sized fans will be installed at stations including Charing Cross, Bond Street and Bank this summer.

In addition, a large number of station ventilation shafts and fans, which had previously been allowed to fall into disrepair, are being brought back into service.

This summer also signals the start of upgrade works of ventilation shafts of the Victoria line.

LU's managing director, Tim O'Toole, said 'We have renewed 50 such fans, so far. 'The start of works to upgrade the ventilation shafts that serve the Victoria line and will double the capacity of the existing units and a mechanical chiller, similar to one at Oxford Circus, will be installed at Euston'.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: 'I am chuffed to bits that plans are afoot to finally put these systems on Circle, District, Hammersmith and City and Metropolitan Lines trains.

'Cooling the Tube does, though, remain a major challenge, especially on the deeper lines such as the Northern and Piccadilly, where we will continue to strive for a solution to the problem.

'However, supplying new fans and innovative measures such as the ground-water cooling system at Victoria are welcome weapons in our fight to keep passengers fresh,' he added.

Ventilation shafts - LU's upgrading ventilation shafts will improve airflow, increasing air distribution capacity to allow hot air to escape more easily. Over the next few years, plans are underway to upgrade 16 ventilation fans along the Victoria line. Work on the first four will commence later this year

Out-of-service fans - LU is working with tube lines and Metronet to re-condition and upgrade the existing station ventilation fan network. Fifty ventilation fans have now been restored, doubling the capacity of the fan network

Portable fans - over-fans will be installed within tickets and concourse areas by summer 2008, to increase air circulation at a number of stations. It was initially trialled at a number of stations including Seven Sisters and Chancery Lane last year.

Mechanical chiller units - a mechanical chiller, which provides cooling to customers and staff in the ticket hall area, will be installed at Euston later this year.

Impulse fans - London Underground are trialling ceiling-mounted impulse fans on Bakerloo line platforms at Marylebone and Lambeth North stations