Friday saw the 7-car S-Stock (S7) run in passenger service for the first time. As much a PR event as a test exercise (not least because the S7s are not yet cleared to run beyond Liverpool Street), it nonetheless represented a major milestone in the rollout of the new stock. Generally speaking, the full rollout won’t begin until after the Olympics, with the current intention being to have 8 – 10 S7s working the Hammersmith & City by December.

Some pictures of the train in service can be found below. With the exception of photos one and three, these come courtesy of JTRO85, who kindly gave us permission to run them here.

Announcing its destination

Open doors, with the longitudinal seating just visible. Photo by Antje (Trowbridge Estate on Flickr)

A good view of the new layout

The S7 Stock with passengers

S7 Stock at Westbourne Park

In service past Edgware Road

At Hammersmith. The contrast with the C Stock is clear

Elsewhere on the line, the new Bishops Road entrance at Paddington, built as part of the Crossrail project, opened at the end of last month. With two staircases and a wider circulating area, it should hopefully have a positive effect on passenger flows at the station as the old arrangement was notorious for becoming highly congested at peak times. Some pictures can be found below.

A polite notice

New signage

The gate line

The space beyond the gate line

The improved stair access

Thanks to JC for the S7 Spot