Piccadilly Line to part-close this weekend for two weeks: Here's what you need to know
16 August 2024, 09:42
The Piccadilly Line is set to close this weekend for two weeks, as part of a huge set of improvement works.
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The news is set to make life harder for tens of thousands of commuters trying to get to and from work.
But in the long run the multi-billion pound improvements should make using the line quicker, easier and more efficient.
The Piccadilly Line - dark blue on the London Underground map - is among the busiest on the Tube, with around 200 million trips annually before Covid. That accounts for around 10% of all Tube journeys.
Here is what you need to know about the closure.
When is it closing, and which part?
The northern part of the Piccadilly Line, from Wood Green to final stop Cockfosters, is closing for over two weeks - from 6am this Saturday (August 17) until the morning of Sunday September 1.
As well as this, from 12.30-6.00 on August 17 there will be no trains for a longer stretch of the line, between King's Cross and Cockfosters.
During the two-week period, the following stations will have no Tube service: Cockfosters, Oakwood, Southgate, Arnos Grove, Bounds Green.
There will also be no service or fewer trains on other parts of the line during this period.
No trains will run between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge in west London, and trains will run less often between Wood Green and Acton Town (via central London) as well as to Heathrow Terminal 4.
There will also be several weekend closures on the line, although dates and stations affected have not been specified yet.
Will there be replacement transport services offered?
There are rail replacement buses running between Wood Green and Cockfosters, stopping at every station, but these are likely to be very busy.
Otherwise, Transport for London (TfL) said people should find other train stations nearby.
Why is the Piccadilly line part-closing?
The Piccadilly Line is closing to prepare it for a new set of 94 Siemens trains, replacing the 86 currently in operation, which date to 1973.
These new trains will be the first of the deep-line trains to have air conditioning, and will also have walk-through carriages such as on the Elizabeth Line and several others.
Other improvements that will come with the new trains include wider double doors, digital display screens, better step-free access and more CCTV.
The new trains should be running from 2025.
Will it improve services?
In theory, yes. TfL have said that the greater number of trains in service will let them run a Piccadilly Line train every two minutes and five seconds on average.
That's 27 trains an hour, compared to the previous 24.
TfL said this would increase passenger capacity by up to 23% at peak times.
They also said the new trains would be 20% more energy-efficient. TfL is also improving its power system across the line.
Most of the trains are being built at Siemens' factory in the East Riding of Yorkshire, which TfL said had created about 1,000 skilled job opportunities.
What else is being done?
TfL are building new facilities at Cockfosters, Northfields and South Harrow, to keep and maintain the new trains.
The transport agency also said they would improve accessibility by installing platform humps or manual boarding ramps, and adjusting platform edges and track positions to make it easier for people to get on and off trains.
What more work will need doing?
TfL said that to get the most out of the new trains, they need to upgrade signalling on the line.
They also want to add another 18 Siemens trains, taking the total to 112.
They said these further improvements would allow them to run up to 36 trains an hour in the central London during peak hours, which would represent a 64% increase in capacity on current levels.
But this depends on whether TfL can get enough money from the government, which they haven't been given yet.
