Marking celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the opening of the London Underground, the Queen and Prince Philip with the Duchess of Cambridge visited Baker Street station to check out new air-conditioned walk through trains and talk to railway staff.
London Underground’s chief operating officer, Howard Collins, presented a ‘Baby on Board’ badge to the Duchess who is five months pregnant. As part of the visit the royal party met a cross-section of stations, train and maintenance staff.
As well as new trains they were shown the Metropolitan Railway Jubilee Carriage No 353, the oldest operational underground carriage in existence and used recently on a steam run to commemorate the 150th anniversary. The Queen unveiled a plaque naming a new train ‘Queen Elizabeth II.’
Says Mike Brown, managing director, London Rail, ‘Today’s visit was a huge privilege, helping us mark the 150th anniversary of London Underground as well as recognising some of the staff who work tirelessly to keep London moving.’
London Underground’s new S-Stock trains, which are being introduced to 40 per cent of the Tube network, are already serving the Metropolitan line and currently being rolled out on the Hammersmith & City line followed by the Circle and District line. The trains are built by Bombardier at Derby.
