Saying goodbye to the D Stock

My last time on the D78,
photo taken at Stepney
Green, 20th April 2017

Today London says goodbye and thank you to the D78 Stock, commonly known as the D Stock, which served the District line for 37 years. Since September 2013, the District line has been served by both the D Stock and the new S7 Stock, which will now be the only stock of train serving the line. With 280 seats on each train, the D Stock was popular amongst users as there was a mixture of transverse and longitudinal seating, where as the S7 Stock only has longitudinal seating. Whether you are a fan of the new S7 Stock, or prefer the D Stock, today will mark the end of a reliable set of trains which have sadly came to an end 15 years before their expected lifespan.

Although I prefer the history and aesthetics of railways to actual trains, I am still interested in London Underground stock. My earliest memory of the London Underground is getting the District line to Westminster (I cannot remember where from) as a child, as such, the D Stock train was the first London Underground train I rode. As I write this, the D Stock is also the last London Underground train I have rode, as I caught the D Stock yesterday from Stepney Green to Embankment.

Interior of a D78 Stock,
28th January 2017

75 sets were built in the late 1970s, and the D78 Stock entered service in January 1980 and has served the capital for 37 years. The D Stock replaced the CO/CP Stock built in the 1930s, and the R Stock built in the late 1940s. When the trains were first introduced to the network, passengers had to open the doors by pressing door-control buttons. Some of you will be thinking 'hold on they do not have door-control buttons', and you will be correct. In the late 1990s it was decided that the control of doors closing and also opening was sent over to the driver, therefore the buttons were inactive. The buttons remained until each of the 75 sets were refurbished between 2004 and 2008. 

When the D Stock came out in the 1980s, one of the biggest and noticeable difference for passengers was the instalment of single-leaf doors, something that was new to any of the pre-existing stock on the network. The D78 Stock was the first stock of trains in London to feature the familiar LED information systems provided on the interior and exterior of the train. However, the C69 and C77 Stock were the first trains to feature audio announcements in the carriages. This seems all too familiar to us now.

D78 Stock at Monument,
14th February 2017

The final D Stock train (7007+7032) ran its final service from Upminster to Ealing Broadway, and then on to the depot this evening (21st April 2017). Whilst it is nice to be nostalgic, it is also important to look to the future. We have had the S7 Stock, which has slowly replaced the D Stock, since September 2013. The S Stock has become familiar to London, as two types, the S7 and S8 serve four lines, and will be responsible for serving roughly 30% of the capitals annual users of the London Underground network. The S7 and S8 Stock are the first trains on the London Underground to feature air-conditioning, and walkways between carriages, which increases standing capacity. 

It has been a sad day for those who are fond of the D78 Stock such as myself. Whilst the new trains feature air-conditioning and standing room is increased, there is something special about the D Stock. Regular users probably wont notice the difference, but next time you are on a S7 Stock train on the District line, think about and appreciate how they have become pioneering for London, just as the D78 before it was pioneering in 1980. We say goodbye and thank you to the D78.