New air-conditioned trains have been promised on the Piccadilly line for a while now, but before any of that good stuff happens, a closure to the line will next to take place.
While it isn’t exactly the greatest of timing, with delays plaguing the Central line, upgrades on the Elizabeth line, and station closures taking place, it is all in the name of a smoother experience to allow the £2.9 billion upgrade on the line to be carried out. Eventually, there are also plans to run more trains on the line, which would be a nice bonus for commuters on the blue line.
There is no word yet on when the line will close and exactly how long for, but it is expected to come later on this year, with new trains slated to be in service by 2025.
Speaking at the London Assembly, Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “In preparing for the new Piccadilly line trains there will be closures on the line for both infrastructure enhancements and testing the new trains. The dates of these closures are being agreed at the moment. An integrated customer communications plan is also being developed. Customers can sign up for email updates related to closures on the TfL website.”
We got a first glimpse of the trains in use last year, when images were released by TfL of the models in the testing process, but we’re not too far away from seeing them take to the tracks in London for testing (which is pencilled in for 2024, according to MyLondon) following the £2.9 billion makeover to the line.
When it does shut, frequent users of the line will need to use alternative modes of travel and lines, but think of those sweet shiny and air-conditioned new trains at the end of the tunnel when the work is complete.