WIREDGOV

Closures to allow essential track and platform upgrades to be completed ahead of the first new Piccadilly line test train arriving later this year, and fleet of 94 new trains serving the line from 2025.

• Weekend part closures on the Piccadilly line in July and August will be followed by a 16-day part closure from Saturday 17 August to Sunday 1 September (Wood Green to Cockfosters and Rayners Lane to Uxbridge), with rail replacement buses available to help customers 
• Work to be carried out includes renewing track, points and crossings in the Arnos Grove area, and work around Cockfosters Tube station, Cockfosters Depot and the Arnos Grove train sidings to prepare for the new Piccadilly line trains 
• Piccadilly line customers are advised to plan ahead using TfL's real-time travel information tools including TfL Journey Planner and TfL Go, with detailed travel advice for customers available at: https://tfl.gov.uk/status-updates/major-works-and-events/piccadilly-line-upgrade

Transport for London (TfL) is advising Piccadilly line customers to plan ahead and allow more time for their journeys as a series of vital track and platform upgrades mean sections of the line will temporarily close this year. These upgrades are essential to ensure the line is ready for the first new Piccadilly line trains which will arrive in London later this year for testing, and then be introduced as a fleet of 94 new trains from 2025. 

The new trains are part of a £2.9bn investment to modernise the line, to help it run more reliably, safely, inclusively and sustainably. The scale of the upgrade, which will take place on one of London's deepest Tube lines with some of the oldest track and signaling infrastructure, means that a series of closures is required.

The longest of these is a 16-day planned part closure of the Piccadilly line (Wood Green to Cockfosters and Rayners Lane to Uxbridge) between Saturday 17 August and Sunday 1 September, with a reduced service expected on other parts of the Piccadilly line due to the unavailability of trains. Rail replacement buses will serve all stations between Wood Green and Cockfosters although customers travelling to central London may find it quicker to use local bus services to connect to nearby alternative Tube and rail stations. Customers who use Piccadilly line services to Uxbridge are advised to change at Rayners Lane for the Metropolitan line. 

For all of these part closures, Piccadilly line customers are advised to plan ahead by using TfL's real-time travel information tools including TfL Journey Planner and TfL Go, to check before travelling and to allow more time for their journeys. A dedicated travel advice webpage, which also lists the upcoming, confirmed weekend closures on the Piccadilly line so customers can plan ahead, is available on TfL's website, here: https://tfl.gov.uk/status-updates/major-works-and-events/piccadilly-line-upgrade

Stuart Harvey, Chief Capital Officer at TfL, said:

"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." 

Up to 80 per cent of the new Piccadilly line trains will be built in the UK at Siemens Mobility's new manufacturing facility in Goole, Yorkshire. The new trains will feature walk-through carriages, wider all-double doorways to help customers get on and off more easily, enhanced digital display screens for customer information, on-train CCTV cameras for additional customer security and will, for the first time on a Deep Tube train, provide air-conditioning. They will increase capacity by 10 per cent and will also improve energy efficiency and accessibility. 

Ahead of these closures, TfL will contact regular users of the Piccadilly line with travel advice and information. In addition, posters and public address announcements will be in place at all relevant stations. 

Notes to Editors

1. There will be a series of weekend closures on the Piccadilly line this year with the next of these on the weekends of 27-28 July and 3-4 August (between King's Cross St Pancras and Cockfosters). Rail replacement buses will operate between Finsbury Park and Cockfosters, with customers in Zone 1 advised to use alternative Tube, rail or bus routes. A full list of the upcoming weekend closures is available here: https://tfl.gov.uk/status-updates/major-works-and-events/piccadilly-line-upgrade
2. During the 16-day part closure of the Piccadilly line (Wood Green to Cockfosters and Rayners Lane to Uxbridge) between Saturday 17 August and Sunday 1 September: 

• Customers travelling to central London from Bounds Green, Arnos Grove, Southgate, Oakwood and Cockfosters Tube stations, are advised to consider using local bus services to alternative nearby stations such as Northern line stations between High Barnet and East Finchley, London Overground services between Enfield Town and Bruce Grove, or National rail stations 
• Customers making local journeys between Wood Green and Cockfosters Tube stations are advised to re-plan their journey ahead of travelling, and to consider using local buses, replacement bus services, or walking and cycling where possible. Customers travelling between Wood Green and central London on the Piccadilly line should allow more time for their journeys 
• Between 00:30 and 06:00 on Saturday 17 August (Friday Night Tube service), the Piccadilly line will be part closed between King's Cross St Pancras and Cockfosters Tube stations. From 06:00, the closure will be reduced from Wood Green to Cockfosters Tube stations