New Piccadilly line trains delayed for second time

The rollout of new Piccadilly line trains has been delayed for a second time, due to the "complexities" of the work and safety concerns, Transport for London (TfL) has said.

The first trains had originally been expected to enter service in late 2025, but this was delayed to the second half of 2026. Now the trains have been delayed again and can be expected at some point between December 2026 and June 2027.

The expected cost of the project is also set to increase by £409m to £3.4bn, TfL said.

Stuart Harvey, TfL's chief capital officer, said he understood the delay would be "hugely disappointing", but the organisation needed to be "confident that these trains are ready to operate safely".

TfL said the delay was due to "the complexity of introducing entirely new trains onto ageing infrastructure", with some parts of the line around 120 years old.

Harvey added: "The programme of work that we are undertaking to bring these game‑changing trains to London is hugely complex and is underpinned by our steadfast commitment to safety.

"Despite this change in delivery schedule, our teams have been working intensely to push the programme forward."

Officials said the wider delivery window took into account the remaining work needed to assess whether any final software or systems changes were required.

Aglaja Schneider, joint CEO of Siemens Mobility UKI, said: "As a Londoner, I know how excited everyone is about the new trains coming into service and, whilst there will be a delay, it won't be long before these trains transform travel for millions of people."

Passengers are expected to see the new trains more frequently over the coming months, as they begin to run through the network during service hours as part of testing.

While the Piccadilly line will remain open for most of the programme, some closures will be required to allow critical track renewal work to take place alongside the testing.

The line will be closed between Acton Town and Heathrow from 28 to 31 May, and will then operate only between Acton Town and Heathrow from 30 July to 3 August.

TfL said further extended closures were likely to be needed and would be announced in due course.

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