Transport for London (TfL) and Siemens Mobility have unveiled the new Tube train design which will soon be in production to replace the existing 1970s fleet.
The new trains which will enter transport on Piccadilly line will have wider doors and will be air-conditioned. 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 are required per full-length train. This provides the additional benefit of a smoother ride.
“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,” The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said.
The longer and more spacious 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 Tube train design takes into account the sustainable concept. They are 95 per cent recoverable and offer regenerative braking capability, cutting-edge traction systems, LED lighting throughout and advanced energy management. The energy consumption is reduced by 20 per cent compared with the existing fleet.
When introduced on the Piccadilly line, the current fleet will be gradually withdrawn from passenger service and the frequency of trains in peak hours will rise from 24 to 27 trains per hour from mid-2027.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. Starting 2025, the new spacious ‘Inspiro London’ trains will serve passengers on the line.
The trains currently running on the line have become increasingly unreliable and expensive to maintain and will be 50 years old by the time they are replaced.
50 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.
In 2018, Siemens Mobility and London Underground signed the contract for the delivery of 94 Tube trains. The contract which includes the supply of spares and whole life technical support has a total value of GBP 1.5 billion (EUR 1.74 billion).
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