New Crossrail trains unveiled for London

Walk-through carriages and Wi-Fi have been promised for London commuters, as the design for the capital’s new Crossrail trains was revealed on Friday.

The 200 metre-long trains, built by Bombardier, will be one-and-a-half times longer than the longest tube train, and accommodate 1,500 passengers, Transport for London announced on Friday.

Each train will have nine interconnected carriages, allowing for walk-through access in a similar way to the class 378 trains also built by Bombardier for London Overground.

The so-called ‘Aventra’ trains will feature regenerative braking, delivering electricity back into their power supply to use less energy, the local government body confirmed.

TfL also promised 4G access to customers on the railway deep under central London – something existing Underground services lacked.

The £14.9bn Crossrail project – London’s first underground railway since the 1990s – is due to open in 2018. The franchise to operate it was let to Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation last year.