Victoria Line - Service and Rolling Stock

Service and Rolling Stock

Trains run every two minutes during peak periods. In normal service all trains run from Brixton to Seven Sisters, with roughly three out of five continuing to Walthamstow Central.

When the line was opened it was served by a fleet of 39½ eight-car trains of 1967 Tube Stock trains. These were later supplemented by a number of cars of 1972 Mark I Tube Stock converted to be compatible with the 1967 stock. Ultimately there were 43 trains, each made up of two four-car units. These were replaced by 2009 Tube Stock between 2009 and 2011 (see below).

In the early planning stages of the line an articulated type of rolling stock was considered, but the idea was dropped because of difficulties in transferring the stock to Acton Works for heavy overhauls. With the demise of Acton Works this no longer applies, and the new 2009 tube stock has a wider profile and slightly longer carriages which preclude it running on other deep-level tube lines.

The line is equipped with an Automatic Train Operation system (ATO); the train operator (driver) closes the train doors and presses a pair of "start" buttons, and if the way ahead is clear, the ATO drives the train at a safe speed to the next station and stops it there. This system has operated since the line opened in 1968, making the Victoria line the world's first full-scale automatic railway.

Replacement of the 1967 rolling stock began in July 2009 as part of Transport for London's 5-year £10 billion redevelopment project. A new fleet of 47 eight-car trains called 2009 Tube Stock were built by Bombardier Transportation. The first prototypes began testing in 2008. The main fleet began to be introduced in 2009 and went into squadron service in 2010. The last of the 1967 stock trains ran on 30 June 2011, after which the whole service was provided by 2009 stock.

The signalling is being replaced with a more modern ATO system from Westinghouse Rail Systems. LUL claims that this is the world's first ATO-on-ATO upgrade. Installation is well advanced, and the new system will be fully in use by the end of 2012, allowing up to 33 trains per hour instead of 27. This in combination with the new, faster trains will increase the line's capacity overall by 21%, equivalent to an extra 10,000 passengers per hour.