To prepare the Piccadilly line for new trains to be introduced next year, parts of the line will be closed through to September so that the track and platforms can be upgraded.
Through July and August and for 16 days from Saturday, 17th August to Sunday, 1st September, the line will be closed between Wood Green and Cockfosters, and Rayners Lane and Uxbridge.
During the closures, rail-replacement bus services will be provided.
Among the work to be carried out is the renewal of track, points, and crossings in the Arnos Grove area, around Cockfosters tube station and depot, and sidings at Arnos Grove.
A fleet of 94 new trains is being introduced as part of a £2.9bn investment to modernise the line, and to help run a more reliable and sustainable service.
The 16-day planned part closure of the line will have a knock-on effect on other parts of the Piccadilly line because of the unavailability of trains.
The rail replacement buses will serve all stations between Wood Green and Cockfosters; customers travelling to central London may find it quicker to use local bus services to connect with nearby alternative Tube and rail stations.
Customers travelling to Uxbridge should change to the Metropolitan line at Rayners Lane.
Up to 80 per cent of the new Piccadilly line trains will be built by Siemens Mobility at Goole in East Yorkshire.
They will feature walk-through carriages with wider all-double doorways for easier access, enhanced digital information screens, on-train CCTV for additional security, and air-conditioning for the first time on a deep Tube train.
During the closures, customers should plan ahead using TfL’s real-time travel information tools, including TfL Journey Planner and TfL Go. A dedicated travel advice webpage is also available by clicking here.
I’d like to thank our customers for their patience while we carry out these essential upgrades to the Piccadilly line. The closures will help us prepare for the arrival of the fleet of 94 brand-new trains which will transform journeys on the line in the coming decades.
Introducing a new fleet of trains is a huge engineering and logistical feat. Although much of the hard work goes on behind the scenes, there are times when we need to close sections of the railway to ensure that all existing infrastructure is compatible with the new trains.
Closures of this type are scheduled to take place, where possible, in school holidays when demand on our network is significantly reduced.”
Stuart Harvey, Chief Capital Officer at TfL
Responses
There will be no Picc line Rayners to Uxbridge as there will be no way of servicing these trains as they will be cut-off from Northfields depot.
Since it appears that Metropolitan line trains will still run from Rayners Lanes to Uxbridge, I don’t understand why Piccadilly trains can’t also continue to do so, since they run on the same tracks. If the Met line trains are still running presumably there can’t be any alterations carried out to platforms and tracks as is planned between Arnos Grove and Cockfosters, so why is it necessary to stop Piccadilly line trains at Rayners Lane?
Bakerloo Line extension please!
Something needs to be done about the terrible, terrible noise passengers are subjected to, there are areas where it’s unbearable.
I would suspect that the displaced Piccadilly line trains will replace the Bakerloo line 1972 stock.
No. The 73s are going to be scrapped apart from a few unots to be converted to RATs. The Bakerloo line will get 24ts in time.
The Bakerloo Line also needs new tube trains to replace the 1972 Stock. As those tube trains are getting old.