A Tube station is being part-closed over five weeks to prepare it for the arrival of a new fleet of Piccadilly line trains.
Eastbound trains – those heading to Cockfosters - will not stop at Caledonian Road station from Monday October 14 to Thursday October 31.
This will be followed by the loss of 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.
In addition, the Piccadilly line will be closed this coming weekend, October 19-20, between Acton Town and Rayners Lane and for a further three successive weekends in November and December.
On November 23-24 the line will be closed between King’s Cross and Hammersmith.
The following weekend, November 30 and December 1, will see it closed between King’s Cross and Cockfosters.
Then on December 7-8 the line will be closed between Acton Town and Rayners Lane.
A number of platforms along the line are having to be “shaved” to prevent the new trains, which have nine carriages and different geometry to the existing 50-year-old fleet, bumping into them as they enter each station.
Some “enabling” works have been carried out overnight but the alterations at Caledonian Road are so extensive that Transport for London has been forced to shut one platform at a time to passengers.
New platform stopping markers are being installed for the new trains at all stations across the Piccadilly line.
The first of the new trains is due to arrive in London for testing by the end of 2024.
The first new trains, the first deep level Tube trains to have air conditioning and walk-through carriages, are due to enter service in 2025.
It will take until 2028 for all 94 new trains to start running – by which time TfL hopes to have placed a new order with the manufacturers, Siemens, for a new fleet of trains for the Bakerloo line.
TfL has reportedly appointed two firms to carry out a feasibility study on building four new stations on the as yet unfunded Bakerloo line extension.
The new Piccadilly line trains will enable the peak frequency on the line - one of the busiest on the London Underground - to be increased from 24 to 27 trains per hour in each direction.
However this cannot increase further to 32 or even 36 trains an hour - matching the Victoria line - unless TfL secures Government funding for a new signalling system.
TfL has advised passengers affected by the Caledonian Road part-closure to travel to the next station and then switch platforms to return to the station on the “opposite” platform.
Those requiring step-free interchanges should use King’s Cross or Finsbury Park stations.
Alternatively, use the 17, 259 or 91 (N91 overnight) bus to King's Cross, or the 259 to Finsbury Park.
