London Underground Limited (a subsidiary of Transport for London) has signed a contract with Siemens Mobility Limited to design and build 94 new generation Tube trains to replace the existing 1970s fleet.
The current trains are old, increasingly unreliable and expensive to maintain. From 2023, new spacious ‘Inspiro London’ trains will be delivered for testing on the Piccadilly line, with current estimates indicating the first of these trains will be serving customers in 2024. These will improve reliability and enable increased frequencies during peak times by the end of 2026 (up from 24 to 27 trains-per-hour). This service – a train every 135 seconds at the busiest times – will help to address crowding on the line as London’s population continues to rise.
The state-of-the-art Tube trains will significantly improve the experience of millions of customers, with wider doors and longer, walk-through, fully air-conditioned carriages. In addition, in-train information systems will help all customers plan their onward journey more easily.
The initial order is for 94 trains and an associated Fleet Services Agreement covering the supply of spares and whole life technical support (a value of approximately £1.5bn). This has been awarded with the expectation that Siemens Mobility will build trains for all four Deep Tube lines – the Piccadilly, Bakerloo, Central and Waterloo & City. Creating a single train design will allow TfL to maximise cost savings through greater standardisation of train operations, staff training, equipment, spares and maintenance. To maximise whole life benefit and return on investment, Siemens Mobility will also be offering a range of added value digital services using its Railigent® asset management suite of applications.
Nigel Holness, Managing Director of London Underground, said:
‘The introduction of new trains on the Piccadilly line will significantly improve the journeys of millions of our customers, providing more frequent and more reliable trains for decades to come. This order will mean the replacement of the 1970s Piccadilly line fleet, with delivery of the new trains in 2023, and will help address crowding on the line as London’s population continues to rise.’
William Wilson, Managing Director Rolling Stock of Siemens Mobility Limited, said:
‘These state-of-the-art trains, which are track-friendly and future-proofed for a long life, will transform the travel experience for the 700,000 daily Piccadilly line passengers.
‘We’ve thought about travellers at every stage of the process and as a result the trains feature walk-through carriages with wider doors, improved access to make them easier to get on and off, and feature full air-conditioning – a real challenge in hot tunnels.’
As Siemens Mobility announced earlier this year, the contract award is a significant step to progress plans to build a new factory in Goole, East Yorkshire, to manufacture and commission trains. The two companies will now work together to maximise the number of Piccadilly line trains being built at this facility.
The continued modernisation of the Tube is a key part of the Mayor’s Transport Strategy to make London a greener, more accessible place. The investment in improving public transport will help reduce reliance on the car and contribute to the Mayor’s target of 80 per cent of journeys made by public transport, cycling or walking by 2041.
Source: TfL
