Five carriage trains to be introduced to East London Line

Transport for London announces a much-needed boost to capacity on the ELL:

A programme to introduce five-car trains on all London Overground routes and increase the capacity of the railway by 25 cent, to meet rapidly increasing demand for the network’s services, was announced by Transport for London (TfL) today.

The £320m programme includes the construction of longer platforms and the delivery of an extra 57 carriages by mid 2015.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said: “Passenger numbers on our London Overground services have been going through the roof, but this important programme of investment will enable us to provide the extra carriages required for Londoners to take advantage of what has become the most popular suburban railway in the country.”

Transport for London’s Chief Operating Officer for Rail, Howard Smith, said: “Demand for London Overground – the UK’s most punctual rail service – is growing at an incredible pace.  By the end of 2012, London Overground carried 120 million passengers - nearly four times the number carried when we launched in 2007.

“To enable this positive trend to continue and maintain our high levels for safe, reliable and frequent travel, we need to deliver more capacity by adding more carriages”.

The increased capacity will help London’s transport network accommodate the predicted 810,000 new residents expected to move into London by 2021.

To enable the new trains, the following work will take place on the ELL:

- Reconfiguration of the New Cross Gate and Willesden depots
- Platform extensions at some stations on the North and East London lines and associated signalling and power works.