New Piccadilly Line trains delayed by up to a year
New Piccadilly Line trains will begin operating on the London Underground up to a year later than planned, it has been revealed.
The 94 new trains, which will have walk-through air conditioned carriages and CCTV, were supposed to come into service in late 2025.
But Transport for London (TfL) said on Friday the fleet would instead begin operations in the second half of 2026.
“This hugely complex project will boost capacity and make journeys more accessible and comfortable for millions of people,” Stuart Harvey, TfL’s chief capital officer, said.
The £3bn fleet is being manufactured by the rolling stock firm Siemens Mobility at a factory in Goole, Yorkshire.
The new trains will replace the Piccadilly Line’s ageing fleet, which is more than 50 years old, and increase capacity on the tube line by ten per cent.
Sambit Banerjee, joint chief executive at Siemens Mobility, said: “We’re working really hard with TfL to deliver the new Piccadilly line trains that are going to transform travel for people in London.
“Any project like this is complicated – we’re bringing state-of-the-art, air-conditioned, walk-through trains into tunnels that were built 120 years ago.
“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.”
Harvey added: “It will obviously be disappointing for customers that they will have to wait a bit longer for the new trains, and I regret that. But I would like to assure Londoners and visitors to our city that we are working extremely closely with Siemens to ensure that the new trains can be introduced as soon as possible in the second half of next year.”