Wales Is Getting Our Old Tube Trains... And Making Them Beautiful

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By M@ Last edited 69 months ago

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Wales Is Getting Our Old Tube Trains... And Making Them Beautiful

It's the ultimate hand-me-down. Old tube* trains will soon find themselves running along Welsh rails.

London Underground phased out its D78 stock in 2017. The old District line units — dating back to 1980 — have been acquired by KeolisAmey, the new franchise owner of Wales and Borders. The carriages will undergo a complete refit for their new role.

And just look at the beauties. The revamp includes new seating patterns, toilets, wifi, USB ports, air-con, plug sockets and extra space for bikes and luggage — basically, our dream tube train. They will be capable of running on either diesel and battery.

Five of the three-car trains may be in service as early as 2019.

From a Londoner's perspective, it's marvellous to see the old rolling stock living on elsewhere, just as old tube carriages still rumble across the Isle of Wight. Those receiving the trains are not all so delighted, however. The WalesOnline article has received over 90 comments — many grumbles about 'London's second-hand tat' and bemoaning a lack of electrification.


*Pedant's note: we're aware that some people still maintain a distinction between 'tube trains' and 'underground/subsurface trains' but we do not. Sorry.

D-stock train in its old, London livery. Image by Alex Nevin-Tylee under Creative Commons licence.

Bonus joke for anyone who's bothered to scroll down

"I hear those old tube trains are going to the Welsh railways."
"Wrexham?"
"No, I'm sure it'll give them a new lease of life."

Last Updated 15 June 2018