As part of a £2.9 billion investment into London’s Piccadilly line to make it run “more reliably, safely, inclusively and sustainably,” some stations will be part-closed in the run-up to Christmas.
The Piccadilly line services more than 10 per cent of all journeys on the Tube. It had about 200 million trips annually before the pandemic.
It covers destinations across north and west London, Heathrow Airport, the West End and King's Cross/St Pancras International.
Here’s all you need to know about the planned upgrade and how it might affect your travel in London.
What is the Piccadilly line upgrade?
The investment will see new trains added to upgrade outdated assets on the line. The new trains are designed to be more efficient and sustainable.
Additionally, the Piccadilly line will get new depots and sidings to house the updated trains, with new facilities at Cockfosters and Northfields depots and stables at South Harrow.
The upgrades aim to improve accessibility across the line by installing platform humps or manual boarding ramps — and adjusting platform edges and track positions.
When will the Piccadilly line closures take place?
The work will be completed in stages across the line to minimise the impact on passengers.
Nonetheless, the line will be part closed between various points for five weeks between Monday, October 14 and Sunday, December 8.
Different weekends will affect various stations, and not all will be partially closed for the entire duration.
Which stations will be affected?
The closures will affect several stations, with Eastbound trains heading to Cockfosters not stopping at Caledonian Road station from Monday, October 14 to Thursday, October 31.
This will be followed by Cockfosters losing the westbound service towards central London and Heathrow Airport from Monday, November 4 to Thursday, November 21. Trains will run through the station, in Islington, without stopping.
The Piccadilly line will also be closed from October 19 until 20 between Acton Town and Rayners Lane and for three successive weekends in November and December.
Between, November 23 and 24, the line will be closed between King’s Cross and Hammersmith — and between King’s Cross and Cockfosters from November 30 until December 1.
Last but not least, between December 7 and 8, the Piccadilly line will be closed between Acton Town and Rayners Lane.
You can find more details about the closures on the Transport for London (TfL) website here.
What’s special about the new trains?
TfL is working with Siemens Mobility Ltd to build the new trains.
They will replace the line's existing trains, which have served London since 1975, in 2025.
The new trains will feature:
- Walk-through carriages
- Air-conditioning — for the first time on a deep Tube train
- Wider all-double doorways to help customers get on and off more easily
- Enhanced digital display screens for customer information
- Improved step-free access from/onto the platform
- On-train CCTV cameras for additional customer security
The number of trains will also increase from 86 to 94 with the new ones. This means the number of trains through central London will rise from 24 to 27 an hour — one every 135 seconds at the busiest times.
As such, the number of passengers that can be carried on the entire Piccadilly line will increase by up to 23 per cent during peak times.
The new trains are also being designed sustainably, reducing energy consumption by 20 per cent and supporting decarbonisation.
