Alstom has marked the 100th birthday of the London Underground’s extension from Clapham Common with a celebration at its Morden Traincare Centre in South London.
Colleagues’ families, partners and local stakeholders were invited to celebrate a century since the line was extended almost eight-miles (12.3km) from Clapham Common to Morden, marking the formation of one of London’s busiest Underground lines.
Guests were offered extensive tours of the depot, whilst the event also featured a specially-commissioned exhibition, ‘Morden 100: Portraits from the Northern line’, which was created by photographer Nick Robinson.
The exhibition offers visitors a glimpse inside the depots whilst aiming to recognise the maintainers, technicians, engineers and support teams whose work keeps trains safe, reliable and ready for service.
On 13 September 1926, the Northern line was extended from Clapham Common to Morden, with a set of seven new stations opening at Clapham South, Balham, Tooting Bec, Tooting Broadway, Colliers Wood, South Wimbledon and Morden, alongside Morden Traincare Centre. A century later, Morden forms a crucial part of London’s transport network and forms the engineering core of the line, alongside Golders Green Traincare Centre.
Alstom currently maintains the Northern line’s fleet of 106 1995 Stock trains from both its Morden and Golders Green Traincare Centres – continuing to service the rolling stock it initially built for service when they entered operation in 1998.
Rob Whyte, Managing Director UK at Alstom, said:Today is a celebration of a place, a milestone and, above all, our people. For 100 years, Morden Traincare Centre has played a vital role in keeping the Northern line moving. The London Underground has changed enormously since 1926, but the dedication, skill and professionalism of the people who care for this fleet remain at the heart of everything we do.
We are proud to celebrate this centenary with our colleagues, partners and stakeholders, and to recognise the contribution that Morden and Golders Green continue to make to London’s transport network.
Alstom’s Northern line team comprises nearly 250 employees across its two depots, representing 20 nationalities and, with an average tenure of 14 years, the workforce includes colleagues who have been with the Northern line for nearly five decades – the longest-serving having joined in 1977.
The Morden 100 celebration forms a key part of Alstom’s wider recognition of the Northern line’s history. Currently, around one million passengers travel on the line every weekday, with the station now serving 52 stations across 38 miles (61 km) of track.
Alstom first took over the contract to maintain the Northern Line rolling stick in 1995, and has since delivered a series of reliability, refurbishment improvement programmes for its fleet – which travels around 9.3 million miles (15 million km) a year.
As part of the celebration, visitors were given the chance to witness a full, six-car train being raised by lifting jacks, as well as see how the depot’s Lean-Lift system operates within the Stores department. Elsewhere, Alstom STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Ambassadors led family-friendly, hands-on activities, whilst a miniature, ride-on railway visited the depot for the day from There and Back Light Railway.
With displays from London Transport Museum and Tooting History Group, along with local food and drink vendors; Morden 100 marked the first time in almost four decades that the site has held an open day. Activities and donations arranged by the Branch Line Society and Tooting History Group helped raise over £1,600 for Morden Traincare Centre’s chosen charity, Caring Kits for Kids.
