London’s Tube trains are getting Wi-Fi and are going driverless

Transport for London’s 19^th -century Underground is in for a modern-day upgrade. By 2020 the city will have 250 new air-conditioned, driverless subway cars equipped with onboard Wi-Fi operating on the Tube for the first time.

Image via Tech Times.

Initiated by London’s mayor Boris Johnson, the idea behind the revamped Tube system is to increase rider capacity from 8.4 million people to 10 million by 2030. In order to accommodate more passengers, each train will feature walk-through carriages that allow more people on a line, along with double doors to allow commuters to get on or off the trains faster.

Instead of paper advertising boards inside each carriage, the new trains will display screens that can be automatically updated with Tube statuses and real-time travel updates. The screens will also allow advertisers to promote products and services. 

Image via Engadget.

Rolling out in Bakerloo, Central, Piccadilly, and Waterloo & City lines, the new carriages will be able to serve more London commuters with faster, more reliable transportation services. Once operational, the new trains are intended to serve London for 40 years. The Piccadilly line, which serves 210 million commuters annually with demand expected to increase 20% by 2020, will be prioritized as the first line to feature the modernized trains. 

Image via Gizmag.

If you’re curious to see more of what the Tube line will look like in about five years, the designs of the new trains are currently on display in a public exhibition in London’s King’s Cross St. Pancras Underground station.

Story via Tech Times.