SIEMENS has been named as preferred bidder to build new trains for the Piccadilly Line of London Underground, and the award has boosted Siemens’ plan to build a new train factory at Goole in Yorkshire.   Transport for London said the Goole project will create thousands of jobs.   The new trains will allow TfL to increase capacity on the busy Piccadilly Line, which serves Heathrow Airport.   TfL’s Deep Tube Upgrade Programme will replace rolling stock, signalling and control systems on four lines – the Piccadilly, Bakerloo, Central and Waterloo & City. At the moment, the Piccadilly and the Bakerloo have the oldest trains on London Underground, which were built in the 1970s.   The upgrade programme will increase capacity on these lines by a total of 36 per cent between now and 2035.   A total of 22 British suppliers are being considered as sub-contractors of Siemens, which will be purchasing many of the components for the fleet of 94 ‘Inspiro’ trains. TfL has estimated that around 1,700 indirect jobs will be created in the supply chain.   When the new trains are in service in 2023, TfL intends to shorten the Piccadilly Line headways and provide up to 27 trains an hour – which will be three more than at present.   TfL added: “While this order is for an initial 94 trains, the contract will be awarded on the expectation of a single manufacturer building the trains for all four Deep Tube lines. Creating a single train design will allow TfL to maximise cost savings through greater standardisation of train operations, staff training, equipment, spares and maintenance.”   London transport commissioner Mike Brown said: “We are delivering the biggest investment programme in our history to continue to improve journeys and support London’s population and employment growth. It also demonstrates once again that investment in London creates jobs and apprenticeship opportunities right across the country.”   Siemens Mobility CEO Sabrina Soussan added: “We are thrilled by today’s announcement. Our metro trains travel the equivalent of 60 times around the world each week, transporting millions of passengers comfortably and efficiently. With this extensive knowledge and our constant focus on value provision, we can drive down lifecycle costs. Additionally we can further develop rail skills and our investment, something that is so important to our organisations and the continued success of the UK rail industry.”   The award is now subject to a statutory 10-day standstill period before it can be confirmed.   TfL said a separate procurement process for the signalling and train control systems for the Deep Tube lines is well underway, with a view to awarding this contract by mid-2020.

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