Perhaps I was a train-spotter in another life, but I admit that one of the things I enjoy most as an MP is the chance to see infrastructure projects being delivered – whether that’s going underground to look at Crossrail works and tunnel-boring machines or poking around brand-new train carriages.

It was therefore with great delight that the team and I greeted our visit today to Upminster’s tube depot, where we learned about forthcoming improvements to the District line service, got to see where our tube trains rest at night and operated the tube simulator where drivers carry out their training.

The Circle, Hammersmith & City, District and Metropolitan lines cover some of the oldest sections of the Underground network, dating as far back as 1863. They accommodate around one million passenger journeys every day, and comprise around forty per cent of the network. There is currently a major upgrade programme underway across the four lines that has already seen the delivery of new, air-conditioned ‘S-stock’ trains with ten per cent more space. However, there is much more to come.

Once all the new signalling, points and track are in place, TfL expects the District line to be much more reliable and trains more frequent – up to 32 an hour once the works are complete in 2023 – with capacity increased by a third.

All this means fewer delays and, vitally, a better, shorter commute for Upminster residents as the new system whisks them into town at higher speed.