Transport for London’s Andy Lord has refused to publicly explain why the introduction of new Piccadilly line trains has been delayed by a year. The commissioner, when pressed by London Assembly member Keith Prince, said the exact reasons are ‘complicated’ but that he is willing to provide information off-camera.
Addressing the body alongside Sadiq Khan this morning (July 3), Mr Lord apologised for the decision to push back the launch but claimed it was one that had to be made. He said: “I’m sorry it’s not as early as we thought. The train is going to be transformational for the Piccadilly line users – walkthrough, air cooled, live customer information.
“But, it is extremely complex and we need to make sure it is introduced both safely and reliably.”
Referencing what he called ‘strange rumours’, Mr Prince queried whether there was a design fault within the upgraded stock, to which Mr Lord kept his answer very brief. He stated there are “some issues” between both Tube manufacturer Siemens Mobility and TfL, and “modifications” to the trains are required.
Undeterred, Mr Prince asked whether the new trains don’t fit in the tunnels, but was told with certainty that is not one of the issues at hand.
TfL had planned to rollout 94 trains with air-conditioning and CCTV in late-2025 but has pushed this back until the second half of 2026, a timeline the commissioner was today “confident” the travel authority will stick to.
Engineering problems discovered during the testing phase are reportedly behind the revision, as some proved ‘more challenging’ than expected. TfL previously explained a number of these arose from the Piccadilly line being one of the longest and deepest on the London Underground.
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During the same meeting of the London Assembly, Mr Lord urged a group of ‘vigilantes’ seen cleaning graffiti from Tube trains to stop the stunt. Dozens of videos have appeared on social media in recent weeks showing people scrubbing interior doors and walls in hi-vis vests adorned with the slogan “Doing what Sadiq Khant.”
A spike in vandalism on the Bakerloo and Central lines had previously been acknowledge by TfL, with bosses taking “significant action”. Mr Lord says the travel authority is now tackling 3,000 tags a week on the two lines alone.
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