00:00 I've come to the Siemens factory in Norman, Germany
00:03 for a look at the brand new Piccadilly Line trains.
00:07 These trains are due to arrive in London
00:09 for testing next summer and to go into service
00:12 on the Piccadilly Line around summer 2025.
00:16 It's a leaner, greener train for London,
00:18 10% more capacity, 10% lighter,
00:21 which means it's 20% more energy efficient.
00:24 - Why are you bringing them in?
00:26 - We're bringing them in because
00:27 the current Piccadilly Line trains are
00:30 at the end of their life.
00:31 They've served London brilliantly.
00:33 They've been around for nearly 50 years
00:34 and it's time to replace them.
00:36 - What do you think Londoners will make of these new trains?
00:40 - I think they're great.
00:41 We have put a lot of effort, engineering effort,
00:45 to make the passenger journey more comfortable.
00:48 These are articulated trains,
00:50 so passengers can spread across the train
00:54 so that there is no overcrowding at any point.
00:57 The seats are very, very comfortable.
01:00 The height is slightly bigger.
01:02 And then there is the provisional icing on the cake.
01:05 It's an air-cooled train,
01:06 the first air-cooled train for London Underground.
01:10 - There's also the possibility that if TfL
01:12 is given permission to buy new Bakerloo Line trains,
01:16 then these too would be built in Yorkshire.
01:19 The issue for TfL, though, when these new trains come in,
01:23 is that the tracking signaling is not being upgraded
01:25 at the same time.
01:27 - If we were to look for more investment,
01:29 really the Bakerloo Line is where we'd be looking.
01:31 That fleet is as old as the Piccadilly Line.
01:33 We'd love to bring trains like this
01:35 onto the Bakerloo Line.
01:36 - So I've just had a test ride
01:37 on the new Piccadilly Line train.
01:40 What's the verdict?
01:41 Well, it's lovely and quiet and it's very smooth.
01:44 But of course, this is a test track facility.
01:47 It's not running down from, say,
01:48 Finsbury Park to Leicester Square,
01:51 and it's not full of passengers at rush hour.
01:53 However, make no mistake,
01:55 this is a huge step forward for London Underground.
01:57 It's been years since we last had a new Underground train,
02:00 probably dating back to the Jubilee Line,
02:03 around 2000, if not before.
02:05 Obviously, we've had the Elizabeth Line
02:07 and the London Underground,
02:09 but when this arrives in 2025,
02:12 Londoners are in for something of a treat.
02:14 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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