1992 stock Refurbishment?

Mikey C said:

The chances are, that once the 1992 work eventually finishes, there will be no future work and the facility will be mothballed.

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The plan is for 96TS to be refurbished there.

Mikey C said:

The chances are, that once the 1992 work eventually finishes, there will be no future work and the facility will be mothballed.

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More than likely due to the delays in CLIP as the intent was for the facility to do S Stock heavy work on this site, but it's now due at the same time.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Aug 2026 ==

Central said:

The plan is for 96TS to be refurbished there.

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So looks like the plan is to do everything there.

Also, wasn't 1996TS just "Refurbished" in the TFOS at Stratford Market?

Or is this to now do the welding work that's been known about for ages but wasn't done because they money wasn't wanting to be spent?

The S stock? Surely the '09 stock is in more need?

announcements said:

The S stock? Surely the '09 stock is in more need?

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Or the 95, they're starting to look equally tired. Wasn't the 96 refurbished within the last decade?

Nym said:

More than likely due to the delays in CLIP as the intent was for the facility to do S Stock heavy work on this site, but it's now due at the same time.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Aug 2026 ==


So looks like the plan is to do everything there.

Also, wasn't 1996TS just "Refurbished" in the TFOS at Stratford Market?

Or is this to now do the welding work that's been known about for ages but wasn't done because they money wasn't wanting to be spent?

Click to expand...

The last I heard the 96TS was more along the lines of life extension work than a refurbishment - although the refurbishment (refresh) at Stratford was more internal only. 96TS work is something that probably would historically have been done via TMU like the 72TS extension works.

announcements said:

The S stock? Surely the '09 stock is in more need?

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The 09TS can't practicably fit through the tunnels to get to Acton.

Recessio said:

Or the 95, they're starting to look equally tired. Wasn't the 96 refurbished within the last decade?

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The 95s are leased from Alstom though until 2031 I think. I assume all work would be done by Alstom.

And none of the stock, other than the 72s and 92s need the major interior changes for RVAR that those trains are getting.

Despite being a daily Central line user the Clip trains have managed to evade me thus far but I’ve finally managed to catch one.

Externally, half of one car was completely covered in graffiti, including the windows.

Inside, the brighter lighting, new floors and new moquette have definitely improved the ambience, but none of the panels seem to have been touched with evidence of years of build up of grime and vandalism still visible.

Unlike other interior refreshes, the seats are still well padded and the moquette seems quite loosely fitted.

“The next station is” announcement plays twice, once whilst you’re still pulling out of the station before and then again when on the approach, which seems a bit unnecessary.

I was also surprised to see that they have taken the opportunity to re-fit all the eye-level stickers to indicate to staff what is beneath the seats. These are all individual stickers that look quite easy to peel off, so not sure now long these will last!

Mojo said:

Despite being a daily Central line user the Clip trains have managed to evade me thus far but I’ve finally managed to catch!

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Something we keep hearing time and time again; they really are rare as hen's teeth.

Mojo said:

Despite being a daily Central line user the Clip trains have managed to evade me thus far but I’ve finally managed to catch one.

Externally, half of one car was completely covered in graffiti, including the windows.

Inside, the brighter lighting, new floors and new moquette have definitely improved the ambience, but none of the panels seem to have been touched with evidence of years of build up of grime and vandalism still visible.

Unlike other interior refreshes, the seats are still well padded and the moquette seems quite loosely fitted.

“The next station is” announcement plays twice, once whilst you’re still pulling out of the station before and then again when on the approach, which seems a bit unnecessary.

I was also surprised to see that they have taken the opportunity to re-fit all the eye-level stickers to indicate to staff what is beneath the seats. These are all individual stickers that look quite easy to peel off, so not sure now long these will last!

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What this shows is that this work really is a “do minimum to keep the trains in service”, rather than a serious attempt to refurbish them.

bramling said:

What this shows is that this work really is a “do minimum to keep the trains in service”, rather than a serious attempt to refurbish them.

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The 'serious attempt' has been in the rework of the internals of the trains, the traction motors, the addition of CCTV, wheelchair spaces and displays. I would argue a project that just included repainting/replacing some flaking paint on panels would be far less of a 'serious attempt'.

Benjwri said:

The 'serious attempt' has been in the rework of the internals of the trains, the traction motors, the addition of CCTV, wheelchair spaces and displays. I would argue a project that just included repainting/replacing some flaking paint on panels would be far less of a 'serious attempt'.

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The motors have been giving trouble for decades, and the accessibility work should have happened in time for 2020, so none of this can be blamed on Covid.

This all seems to me more a case of burying heads very firmly in the sand until things reached a point where if the above works weren’t done there would actually have been no Central Line service.

ISTR at one point over half the fleet was unavailable, though they seemed to have managed to keep things ticking over better since that low point.

It is notable that there is certainly a list of things which haven’t been touched.

bramling said:

The motors have been giving trouble for decades, and the accessibility work should have happened in time for 2020, so none of this can be blamed on Covid.

This all seems to me more a case of burying heads very firmly in the sand until things reached a point where if the above works weren’t done there would actually have been no Central Line service.

ISTR at one point over half the fleet was unavailable, though they seemed to have managed to keep things ticking over better since that low point.

It is notable that there is certainly a list of things which haven’t been touched.

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I didn't blame Covid? I don't think there is any denying that CLIP hasn't gone totally to plan, and that financial realities mean that it isn't possible to refurbish the 'nice to haves' like paintwork. I'm not sure 'burying heads [..] in the sand' is the correct term though. TfL committed to CLIP in 2016, back then they were spending all this money just to have a programme that wrapped up in 2022, before fleet replacement in 2028. If they were burying their heads in the sand they would've just said they would try to keep the stock in service until 2028 and not bothered with CLIP.

Obviously the reality is new stock isn't coming, and Covid is a big factor in that, but if the programme had run to plan, or even suffered only a few years delays, we wouldn't have seen the worst of the reliability crisis in 2023/4. In my view TfL identified a shortfall that wouldn't quite reach replacement and invested in a programme to fix the underlying problems with the stock, allowing it to last far past the expected retirement. That's a decision that has come to benefit them with the challenges covid has brought, giving them stock which could last much longer. As I say though I can't see how heads were buried in the sand when the program was scheduled in a way that would have avoided any of the issues we have seen over the last at least 5 years with availability.

The unfortunate thing is how problems with the 92 stock had deteriorated to such a state.
The slippage of CLIP "essentials" development, the late additions of extras to the scope + the lack of focus on DC motor "nursing" works.
Not sure on what has caused the high level of Train cancellations this summer ??? (probably wrong to assume motor flash overs)