The new Overground trains made their debut this morning.
We’re a sucker for shiny new things here at Secret London, so the news that a fleet of new trains have come to the Overground immediately piqued our attention. I mean, I say fleet, but currently there are only two of them – although more are coming soon. The new trains made their grand appearance on the Gospel Oak to Barking line today, and they’ve got some rather nifty features.
See also: the extra-fancy trains arriving on the Piccadilly line.
In frankly brilliant news for our technology-addicted generation, the new Overground trains are equipped with USB charging ports. Expect them to be in frighteningly high demand during rush hour, though – commuters need their Netflix like a dog needs a bone. The trains also sport a new seat moquette, clearer Overground route maps, digital screens to show upcoming destinations, and these quite cool roundel clocks.
Nice touch, a roundel clock! pic.twitter.com/MX6okSXtjl
— Peter Hicks (@poggs) May 23, 2019
They’re big, too; nearly 700 people can fit on each train, and they’re fully electric, which helps mitigate the environmental damage from their diesel predecessors somewhat. As with all London transport projects, they’ve been delivered late – *cough* Elizabeth Line *cough* – but the manufacturer is earning some goodwill back by subsidising a month’s worth of free travel for regular travellers, which is nice of them.
These two are merely the first of 54 new trains, with a further six set to join the Gospel Oak-Barking route in the near future. The remaining 46 will be split between the Watford Junction-Euston route, the Liverpool Street-Chingford/Cheshunt/Enfield Town route, and the upcoming Overground extension to Barking Riverside – the so-called ‘Barcelona on the Thames’ – and the excitement… is electric.