Transport for London (TfL), the body that oversees public transport in the UK capital, announced yesterday (20 November) that had completed a deal to buy 94 Tube trains from German engineer Siemens for £1.5bn.
The "New Tube" trains, which will run on the Piccadilly Line, will be delivered in 2023 and are due to enter service in 2024, when they will replace the current six-carriage trainsets that date back to 1973. TfL expects to place further order for the Bakerloo, Central and Waterloo & City lines.
The new trains will have modern conveniences such as air-conditioning , in-train information systems and a "walk-through" design. They will also be able to offer 27 trains an hour, compared with 24 at present.
Much of the fabrication work may be done in a Siemens factory in Goole, East Yorkshire, the building of which was announced in March. The company’s plant at Simmering, Vienna, will also be involved in the project.
Siemens was selected as preferred bidder in June, but contract signing was delayed after Alstom and a Bombardier-Hitachi joint venture launched legal challenges to the decision.
Image: The New Tube trains will be in operation in 2024 (TfL)
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