SIEMENS Mobility unveiled the first completed pre-production 24 Tube Stock [TS] unit on November 16. Although the unit was built in the Austrian capital Vienna, the event was held at the company’s Test and Validation Centre in Wegberg-Wildenrath, Germany.
Once testing has been completed, the unit will be transferred to the UK, destined to operate on the Piccadilly Line from 2025.
At a cost of £1.5 billion, Siemens is currently contracted to manufacture 94 trains, which includes the supply of spare parts for five years, following the commissioning of the first unit. Siemens will also supply technical support for the first five years after the contracted warranty period, with the option for further support packages throughout the life of the train.
There is the anticipation orders will be placed to replace trains on the Bakerloo, Central and Waterloo & City Lines. Yet that may not be all, with papers presented to the Transport for London Board proposing that an additional 18 Piccadilly Line trains could be ordered as part of a second stage of upgrades.
However, there are challenges before this order is placed, not least issues around investment and timings of projects to upgrade the
