Tron on the Tube: London Underground's new trains are being tested on the Piccadilly line

"The new trains are the first of a fleet of 94 new trains being built in Yorkshire at the moment, and will eventually replace the Piccadilly line's existing 50-year old rolling stock. However, before passengers can ride the new trains, they need hundreds of hours of testing and assurance that they will work as expected. And testing has been underway ever since the first train arrived in London last year."

"By the end of September 2025, testing had reached the point where they could include system integration testing, which assesses the railway trackside systems that communicate and interact with the onboard train systems. This phase of the system integration testing programme involves fully testing the interfaces between the new train and the railway systems and infrastructure, with appropriate time allowed to address any identified hardware and/or software issues and, where necessary, re-test."

"However, while testing is underway, the cost of the Piccadilly line upgrade is likely to rise soon. Originally set at just under £3.3 billion in May 2018, it was reduced to just under £3 billion in July 2021. But, at a TfL board meeting last month, it was accepted that the cost will have to rise again and will now exceed the £3 billion set in 2021."

The first of 94 new Piccadilly line trains has arrived for weekend trials ahead of passenger service. The fleet is being built in Yorkshire and will replace 50-year-old rolling stock. Hundreds of hours of testing and assurance are required before passenger operations commence, and testing has been underway since the first train arrived in London last year. By the end of September 2025, testing reached system integration testing, assessing trackside systems that communicate with onboard train systems. This phase fully tests interfaces between train and infrastructure, with time allowed to resolve hardware or software issues and retest as necessary. Project costs have risen and will exceed the £3 billion figure set in 2021. Some cost increases stem from depot works, prompting TfL to defer Northfields depot upgrades while proceeding with the Cockfosters rebuild. The signalling upgrade was paused during the pandemic, delaying the planned service uplift.

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