It would appear I've been living in a cave. Last year I did a feature on the new trains for the Metropolitan Line without realising the new S Stock trains for the Circle Line were on the way and about to be phased in. Last Tuesday (11th) saw the Circle Line completely operated by the new trains for the first time. Compared to the old C Stock the S Stock are 7 coaches compared to 6 on the C Stock, 24 metres longer (117m compared to 93), and can carry 865 passengers compared to 739 for the C Stock.
So having spotted one on Tuesday I decided yesterday to spend a couple of hours on the Circle Line to see what the new ones were like. They are quite similar to the Metropolitan Line trains, except all the seats are side facing, but are certainly faster and smoother than their predecessors, which have been in service since 1970. You can still find C Stock on the Edgware - Wimbledon branch of the District Line but I don't know for how long.
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| One of the new Circle/Hammersmith & City Line trains at Farringdon |
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| One of the remaining C Stock still on the Wimbledon branch at Edgware Road |
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| The old and the new - C Stock and the new S Stock together at Edgware Road |
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| Inside of new S stock Circle Line train - unlike the Metropolitian Line all seats are side facing |
These new trains mean that only the Bakerloo and Piccadilly lines still have rolling stock I remember from my childhood. I'm not sure when they are due for replacement.
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