In an unfortunately serendipitous moment for TfL, the current heatwave has coincided with an announcement that the 94 fully walk-through trains with air-conditioning and CCTV for the Piccadilly Line will now not be brought into service this year as originally planned, but have been delayed to the second half of 2026.
Testing for the trains will begin this summer, TfL said. The new-generation trains will replace the now rather grotty existing 1970s fleet and will be lighter and more environmentally friendly, with real-time displays and wider doorways. The model has been described as the “most complex” train ever to be introduced to the Tube network.
Tfl said that the engineering complexities had been more challenging than expected, down to the Piccadilly line being one of the oldest, longest and deepest Tube lines, and this had caused the delay to the rollout. Albeit the age, depth and length of the Piccadilly line seems to me to have been a known factor all along, and can hardly have come as a surprise to the team. Anyway…
Sambit Banerjee, Joint CEO at Siemens Mobility, said: “We’re sorry we can’t have our innovative trains running for passengers even sooner but, once they’re in service, the technology on these new trains will bring smoother, greener and more comfortable journeys for Londoners for the next 30 or more years.”
Stuart Harvey, TfL’s chief capital officer, said: ‘We’re proud and excited that these innovative new trains on the Piccadilly line will have a transformative effect for London.
‘This hugely complex project will boost capacity and make journeys more accessible and more comfortable for millions of people.