Siemens bags £1.5bn contract to build new generation Tube trains

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Siemens has been named by Transport for London (TfL) as the chosen supplier for the £1.5 billion Deep Tube rolling stock contract.

The 94 new trains, which will serve the Piccadilly line, will be built at a new factory in Goole, East Yorkshire.

It is the first order to be placed under the Deep Tube Upgrade Programme, which will introduce brand new trains across the Piccadilly, Bakerloo, Central and Waterloo & City lines.

Although it is only the first order to be placed, TfL said it was placed based on the expectation that a single supplier will manufacture all of the new Deep Tube trains.

Announcing the contract award, TfL said 22 UK suppliers were identified in Siemens’ bid to deliver the new fleet.

The Inspiro trains will replace the Piccadilly line’s 1973 stock from 2023.

As well as introducing new trains on the route, TfL is upgrading the signalling and control systems across the Deep Tube network.

By the end of 2026, 27 trains per hour (tph) will run at peak times on the line compared to 24 tph today.

Mike Brown MVO, commissioner of TfL, said: “Today’s announcement of our intention to award the contract to design and build a new generation Tube train is a huge milestone for London Underground.

“We are delivering the biggest investment programme in our history to continue to improve customers’ 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.

“These trains will transform the journeys of millions of our customers, and provide faster, more frequent and more reliable trains for decades to come.”

Sabrina Soussan, CEO Siemens Mobility, 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 and significantly improve the passenger experience. This has been key to our development of a unique proposition to meet London’s specific challenges and is essential to help TfL accelerate the growth of the Tube network and improve the capacity and reliability of its train services.

“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.”


Read more: Siemens unveils plans to open train manufacturing facility in UK