London Underground's yellow Tube train that doesn't pick up passengers - and only appears at night

If you're a night owl frequently using the London Underground, you might have spotted the unusual sight of a freight train passing through your local Tube station. These bright yellow trains loaded with rubble thankfully aren't for passengers (we doubt they would make for a very comfy ride) - they are actually part of the Tube's engineering fleet, with flat wagons also used to carry essential maintenance materials like rails and sleepers.

It's unlikely that even long-time Londoners will remember when such trains were a more regular feature on the Underground, but transporting freight used to be a crucial function of the rail network, particularly between the 1920s-1940s. Tube history buff Eric Stuart shared insights with MyLondon, saying: "Fruit, vegetables and other perishable commodities, horses, their carriages, cattle, and other livestock could be conveyed [on the London Underground]."

He also noted the historical importance of coal transport via the Tube, as well as parcels and newspapers being carried by various lines over the years. Milk would also be transported via the Underground network daily. These days, there's much less freight being transported along the London Underground network, but you may still spot the bright yellow carriages flashing past the platform from time to time.

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The 'rubble' in the carriages is just to replace track ballast - the stones that sit under the tracks- with tons of the stuff being transported across the capital every day.

The loud freight trains have even spooked some modern-day commuters, with one TikTok user, TheBlackTrainBoy, describing them as 'scary'. He reassured his followers in a video, "The next time you are on the London Underground late at night, don't be scared of it cause it's scary as hell when you see it on first glance."

The clip sparked comments from viewers, with one person mentioning, "I have even seen it in the day on the odd occasion." Another social media user expressed admiration for the trains, commenting, "The battery cars actually look really cool, seen them a couple of times at my station."

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