This morning, waving from the driver's cab and grinning like the train driver he was surely meant to be, Boris Johnson rode one of the new London Overground trains into Platform 2 at Willesden Junction station.
The new trains feature tube-style seating, are roomier (less seats but considerably more standing room), and boast walk-through carriages — which would have been particularly welcome during the nutter-thronged Silverlink era. There's also CCTV throughout, and air conditioning for those rare days when the mercury troubles the high 20s.
The trains will be gradually rolled out from this month through the rest of the year, but relief for passengers won't really come until next year when a fourth car is added to the existing three, adding an additional 50% capacity to each service.