From Siemens Mobility Press Release
Transport for London (TfL) and Siemens Mobility have today unveiled the detailed design of the new generation Tube trains for the Piccadilly line, which will soon be in production to replace the existing 1970s fleet.
As the new trains are introduced to the Piccadilly line, the current fleet will be gradually withdrawn from passenger service and the frequency of trains in peak hours will rise from 24 to 27 trains per hour from mid-2027. This is a train every 135 seconds at the busiest times and represents a 23 per cent increase in peak service capacity.
The state-of-the-art Tube trains will significantly improve the experience of millions of customers, with wider doors and longer, walk-through, air-conditioned carriages for more comfortable journeys. The new trains optimise space to boast 10 per cent more capacity, as well as being significantly lighter than existing designs, meaning energy efficiency is increased and damage to tracks is reduced.
This is achieved by using an innovative articulated design, meaning fewer bogies (the structures containing the wheels, motors and suspension to support and power the train) are required per full-length train. This provides the additional benefit of a smoother ride.
The new trains have also been designed with sustainability in mind. They are 95 per cent recoverable and also offer regenerative braking capability, cutting-edge traction systems, LED lighting throughout and advanced energy management. This means energy consumption is reduced by 20 per cent compared with the existing fleet.
The longer, more spacious, air-conditioned trains will be fully walk-through, boosting accessibility and ensuring customers can move easily to quieter areas of the train. The train design has been developed with regular feedback from TfL’s Independent Disability Advisory Group (IDAG) and the TfL Accessibility Forum.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “These much-needed new trains will be a great step forward for our city, improving frequency, reliability and capacity on the Piccadilly line. The continued modernisation of the Tube - which has seen a transformation over the last two decades - is a key part of my Transport Strategy to make London a greener, more affordable, more accessible place. But we need investment to continue this work. I will keep lobbying the Government to deliver a long-term, viable funding model for TfL, which would enable us to carry out more upgrades to the network’s ageing infrastructure, boost our economy and deliver a green recovery for London and the wider country.”
The new trains are a good example of how investment in TfL is an investment in the UK’s economy, with 55p of every pound invested in improving London Underground being spent outside of London. Fifty per cent of the new train fleet will be built in Goole, East Yorkshire, employing up to 700 people in engineering and manufacturing roles, 250 in the construction phase and 1,700 in the broader supply chain. Last month Siemens Mobility announced £50m of related contracts for UK suppliers, including a number for train components. These included almost £6m in contracts for Yorkshire-based LPA lighting to provide the interior train lighting, and Midlands-based suppliers Baker Bellfield to supply cab partition wall and I M Kelly for driver seats and footrests.
The order for the new Piccadilly line trains, together with a further investment in signalling which has not yet been funded, would support 25,000 new jobs in the capital, as well as supporting the next generation of transport workers through apprenticeship places created both by Siemens Mobility, TfL and the wider supply chain.
Andy Lord, Managing Director of London Underground, said: “The introduction of new, desperately-needed modern and reliable trains on the Piccadilly line, and the capacity they will provide, will be a boost for the capital. We’re pleased that our investment in new trains is helping the UK economy and assisting with the recovery from the pandemic, and we look forward to seeing them on the network in years to come. Sustained long-term investment would enable us to introduce more modern trains over time to replace other ageing fleets alongside new signalling, improving the journeys of millions more Tube customers and reducing the costs of running the Tube.”
William Wilson, CEO of Siemens Mobility Limited, added: “The state-of-the-art trains will transform the Piccadilly line passenger experience. They are lighter, more environmentally-friendly and future-proofed for a long life. But the benefits are not just confined to London. Building the new trains creates new UK jobs and extensive supply chain opportunities. A great example of levelling up in action.”
TfL remains committed to upgrading its network as part of its wider plans to support the UK's recovery. Plans for new Bakerloo, Central and Waterloo & City line trains remain 'shovel ready' and could quickly be progressed were a long-term funding deal agreed with Government.
TfL is uniquely placed to help drive a strong and resilient future for London in line with Government’s clear direction for a more efficient, productive and sustainable city – but it is dependent on investment to achieve this. As part of its Financial Sustainability Plan, which it is currently discussing with Government, TfL is requesting £1.6bn in capital funding per year between 2023 and 2030, to support a new funding model less reliant on fares income. This capital funding would deliver improvements such as state-of-the-art trains and signalling – the single biggest contributor to achieving the Mayor’s target for 80 per cent of journeys to be made by public transport, walking and cycling – and supporting the Mayor’s ambition for London to be carbon neutral by 2030.
TfL have also posted a press release of the new Piccadilly Line trains on their website.
You can read more about the Siemens Inspiro London train from the Siemens Mobility website.
Now let’s look at the recent agenda papers for the TfL Programmes and Investment Committee:
Piccadilly Line Upgrade – rolling stock (formerly Deep Tube Upgrade Programme)
The design for the new Piccadilly line trains is progressing as planned. Close collaboration continues with Siemens, our train supplier, and we remain on target to complete the final design in spring. Siemens has also started mobilisation of their train assembly facilities in readiness for manufacture.
The design of the One-Person Operation CCTV progresses as planned. This is a safety cri tical system that provides the train operator with CCTV images of the platform to enable safe departure. The contractor (Panasonic) has now started surveys due to take place on all Piccadilly line stations throughout the year, which is a key input to the site -specific designs. This will be followed by design, installation and testing and commissioning, we expect the first of these trains to be serving customers from 2025.
We continue to collaborate closely with our partners as part of the Transport Infrastructure Efficiency Taskforce and Transport Infrastructure Efficiency Strategy (TIES), to deliver three demonstrator projects. These projects are delivering innovative solutions in support of the Piccadilly Line Upgrade programme and will drive down costs, while also improving safety and sustainability. The projects include a new platform cooling solution that will help manage the temperature on the platforms and scalable offsite-constructed equipment rooms, which are cheaper, more sustainable and safer to install. Design and site investigation works have started, as well as procurement of key components, so we remain on track for proof of concept delivered, including site trials in late 2021.
You can read more on the London Underground and rest of TfL upgrades from the recent (3 March 2021) TfL Programmes and Investment Committee papers here.
TfL have more committee and board meetings this month; you can view more agenda papers from the Finance committee (10 March), TfL board meeting (16 March) and Audit & Assurance committee (17 March) on the TfL website, as part of their transparency policy.
I’ve found an interesting FOI release which mentions the rollout of new trains for deep level Central, Bakerloo, Northern, Jubilee, Piccadilly, Victoria and Waterloo & City lines:
Request ID: FOI-2290-2021
Date published: 03 March 2021
Plans held by TFL to fit train cars with air conditioning. This includes any timelines for fitting air conditioning; please can the information be broken down for each tube line.
Air conditioned carriages today are provided for passengers on our ‘S’ stock trains which includes the Hammersmith, Circle, District and Metropolitan lines. As we welcome the Elizabeth Line through Central London, this will also provide air conditioned trains, which is planned for next year.
We are working towards providing Piccadilly line trains with air conditioning from 2024.
The introduction of air conditioned carriages on the Central, Bakerloo, Northern, Jubilee, Victoria and Waterloo & City lines will be linked to the replacement of these train fleets as part of our long term Capital Plans. Our plans beyond the Piccadilly lines are still fluid at this stage and are subject to variation based on available funding, commercial procurement processes and fleet asset condition. Our current expectations would be that these fleets are replaced from the mid/late 2030’s/early 2040’s for Bakerloo, Central/Waterloo & City lines and to mid/late 2040’s for Jubilee, Northern and Victoria lines.
Unfortunately, we have to wait four years until the new Piccadilly Line trains enter service. Hopefully by that time, and after years of delays, the new Crossrail Elizabeth Line will have started passsenger service in the main Central core of London.
Before I wrap this article up, I should mention that the Department for Transport has published documents on safeguarding directions for the Bakerloo Line.
The details section from the Department for Transport website says:
The Secretary of State has issued safeguarding directions for the land required for the proposed Bakerloo line extension.
Safeguarding is a formal process undertaken by the Department for Transport that ensures the land required for major projects is protected from conflicting development.
Guidance notes for the relevant local planning authorities concerning the safeguarded land have been published alongside the safeguarding directions.
The safeguarding directions and guidance notes stipulate that the relevant local planning authorities refer planning applications that include land within the safeguarded area to Transport for London (TfL) for comment.
Safeguarding is a statutory mechanism, which activates statutory blight. Qualifying owner-occupiers of land or property within the safeguarded area are entitled to serve blight notices on TfL, as the appropriate authority, in accordance with the provisions contained within the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
TfL has issued letters to those affected by the safeguarding. Any queries in relation to safeguarding should be directed to TfL.
The issuing of safeguarding directions does not represent a government commitment to fund this project.
The Bakerloo line extension is a TfL project. Further information can be found on the TfL website.
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