Long-suffering users of Gospel Oak to Barking line finally see electric trains come into service

Commuters on the poor-performing Gospel Oak to Barking line will finally be given four new electric trains after enduring months of delays and disruption.

Users of the line were told a number of times that the electric trains, built by Bombardier, would come into service only to be disappointed by repeated delays caused by software issues.

Transport for London (TfL) has said the issues have now been resolved with Bombardier and the first two of the four trains will come into service today, with the remaining two installed later in the summer. Four trains per hour will run along the busy north London line and they will carry nearly 700 people, double the capacity of the old diesel trains that had been used.

Read more: Gospel Oak to Barking line users to receive free travel following delays

The long-suffering users of the line have been given a month's of free travel to compensate for the heavy disruption they have faced over the past year.

Heidi Alexander, deputy mayor for Transport, said: “When I wrote to Bombardier earlier this year I made our frustrations at the delay clear, so I am pleased that the first two new trains will be in operation..and the full timetable will be restored as soon as possible. The month’s free travel, which was requested by the mayor, is a well-deserved thank you to passengers for their patience.”

Read more: Roll-out of electric trains on Gospel Oak to Barking line delayed – again

Glenn Wallis, of the Barking – Gospel Oak Rail User Group, said: "Passengers have waited 14 months for this belated entry into public service of the Class 710 and endured a deteriorating service in the meantime. It is to be hoped that all the software issues have been finally resolved and that the units prove reliable in service so that the full 15-minute interval timetable can be restored as soon as possible."