Hopes TfL funding deal will lead to new Bakerloo Line trains

Transport for London hopes a new fleet of trains to replace the Bakerloo Line’s 52-year-old units can be ordered now a new funding deal has been agreed.

TfL will receive £2.2 billion over four years from central government which means it can eventually replace the creaking Bakerloo Line trains and finish the rollout of new units on the Piccadilly Line.

Speaking to RAIL, London’s Transport Commissioner, Andy Lord, said: “The Bakerloo Line trains are 52 years old. Availability of spares is a real challenge. “

“Hopefully we can get the discussions with Siemens concluded and get those trains ordered.

“But you know we won’t see the first trains until towards the end of the decade, so our focus is making sure we keep those trains in service, keeping them reliable.”

The Bakerloo fleet is significantly smaller than that needed for the Piccadilly – about 34 trains compared to 94.

Lord was also asked about the delay to the Piccadilly Line trains. The first was assembled in Austria, but most will come from Siemens Mobility’s Goole factory. They were due in service by the end of 2025.

While he said he couldn’t reveal the reason for the delay, saying it is “commercially sensitive, he added: “The first train is here. There were some issues with assembly in Vienna, which is why the trains were initially a little bit late to London. Once we got the train here, we found three or four issues that need to be rectified, before we can take it out on to test.

“The good news is that I’m expecting the train to be out on the network in early August. That will enable us to really get into the deep testing.”

While the £2.2bn settlement will help with Central line train refurbishment, there is no money for Bakerloo or Docklands Light Railway (DLR) extensions.

Lord said the government was “still supportive” of proposed extensions, “particularly the DLR to Thamesmead”.

Read more from the interview with Andy Lord in RAIL 1041 on sale from August 6.

By Tom Edwards