The first train of Siemens-built 2024 stock for London Underground’s Piccadilly Line has begun testing at Wildenrath in Germany, ahead of entry into service in 2025.
Siemens is building 94 nine-car trains for the Piccadilly Line. The initial batch is being assembled at its factory in Vienna, but it is planned that around half of the fleet will be assembled at the company’s new manufacturing facility at Goole in East Yorkshire, starting from early 2024.
Testing at Wildenrath will cover acceleration, braking, noise and vibration as well as on-board systems and functional tests of interfaces with off-train equipment. The first train is due to be delivered to the UK for further testing and integration in late 2024.
The 2024 stock will replace the current fleet of 87 1973 stock trains on the Piccadilly Line. The new trains will be the first deep tube stock to offer air conditioning, while other features will include walk-through carriages and improved accessibility. Each train will offer around 10% more capacity compared to the old stock, while Siemens says the lighter weight design will be more energy efficient and will provide a smoother ride for passengers.
TfL hopes to introduce the same design of train to the Bakerloo, Central and Waterloo & City Lines, and has options in its contract with Siemens for a follow-on order, but says it requires certainty of capital funding from the Government for this to be possible.
