‘2024 Stock' design due soon

Cab and body mock-ups of the Piccadilly Line’s new train fleet should be released by Siemens in March.

- Christopher Westcott & Piers Conno

THE final design for the Piccadilly Line replacement rolling stock is due to be submitted to London Underground in March. Transport for London is unofficially referring to the future Piccadilly Line units as 2024 Stock, which follows the convention of naming fleets after the year the first unit is due for delivery. The coronavirus epidemic has already impacted the estimated year, however, meaning that the first unit is now unlikely to arrive until 2025.

Full scale mock-ups of a future cab and body are being constructed in Germany and Buckinghamshire respectively. These models will enable manufacturer Siemens to confirm the final external and internal design of the units, as well as maintenance features and characteristics.

Meanwhile TfL has confirmed that some contracts to supply components have been awarded, for example on-board CCTV systems are to be supplied by Panasonic. Other potential contractors are currently being identified using a ‘Supplier Pre-Qualification Questionnaire’.

The project, previously referred to as the New Tube for London (NTfL) and the Deep Tube Upgrade Programme, has resulted in just 94 of the originally intended 250 units being ordered so far. The contract option for an additional six Piccadilly Line trains was not taken up, while further orders for the Central, Waterloo & City, and Bakerloo Lines remain outstanding.

Given the current uncertainty regarding future passenger demand in a post-Covid era, as well as rising debts from loans imposed by Central Government during the epidemic, it is possible the Piccadilly Line will be the only line to receive these vehicles.

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