Air conditioning the London Underground is tricky business
London Underground train engineer says air conditioning deep-level tubes is not easy!
According to one of the engineers currently designing the new trains to be introduced on select routes of the London Underground, air conditioning vehicles for use in subterranean environments is not as easy as it might seem.
The chairman of design at PriestmanGoode, Paul Priestman, is working on the design of the new trains with his team of experts and Transport for London. The specialised trains will be installed on the Bakerloo, Piccadilly, and Central lines starting from 2025.
The new air conditioned trains will be launched from 2025
Mr Priestman explained that air conditioning trains for use at the depths of these lines can actually have the opposite effect of that which is desired.
The issue is not so serious on “sub-surface” routes, including the Metropolitan and Circle, on which air conditioned trains are already in operation, but on the deep-level lines of Piccadilly and Bakerloo, the issue becomes much more tricky to eliminate.
Mr Priestman said that the constant opening and shutting of the train doors allowed the air conditioned air to leave the trains, but that the heat energy generated from the operation of the air conditioning systems can actually make the entire underground system much hotter.
In discussion with BBC the Mr Priestman said: “Basically what happens is you just heat up the system more and more and the old Tube stations right deep down weren’t ventilated to a sufficient level to allow this.”
However, PriestmanGoode and Transport for London are up for the challenge and continue to work on designs for a deep-level tube train that will make travelling in the scorching heat a much more pleasurable experience.
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