WHAT could be the first air-conditioned tube train has been unveiled by Siemens, and a full-scale mock up is to go on public display in London's Docklands.
Siemens has been developing its concept in co-operation with the London Transport Museum and CBS Outdoor UK, as part of the celebrations of 150 years of London Underground, but the operator has not been directly involved.
LUL managers were invited to see the new 'Inspiro' for themselves on 3 October.
Air conditioning in the London tubes has been a challenge for many years, because the main running tunnels are only about 3.7m in diameter. This constricted space means that it is very difficult to dissipate the heat produced by conventional air conditioning.
However, a Siemens spokesman told Railnews that the trains would be 30 per cent more energy efficient and 20 per cent lighter. As a result the new trains would produce significantly less heat in operation, and the spare 'thermal overhead' should permit some heat to be removed from the compartments without boosting temperatures in the tunnels beyond their usual levels.
If Siemens is right, its design could be a major breakthrough. Although the new sub-surface 'S' stock trains now coming into service on the Underground have air-conditioning, previous builds of tube stock have not included it because of the problems with tunnel temperature.
A competition to find a cooling solution for trains in the deep tubes was staged by the Mayor of London a few years ago, but there were no successful entrants.
Siemens will be hoping to gain initial orders from London Underground for new stock on the Piccadilly and Bakerloo Lines, where the present fleets date from the 1970s and are the next in line for replacement following the delivery of the 'S' stock, which is being built by Bombardier in Derby.
The exhibition 'Going Underground' is being staged at The Crystal, which is a Siemens centre close to Royal Victoria station on the Docklands Light Railway, and will run for three months from 8 October.