New trains destined to be used on the London Underground have been spotted in action... in Austria.
The 'New Tube for London' is a futuristic model of train being built, initially for the Piccadilly line. TfL has 94 on order from Siemens Mobility Ltd, 50% of which are being built in Goole, Yorkshire, the other 50% are being constructed in Vienna — and these are the ones which have been spotted 'in the wild' in recent days.
Photos of the sleek carriages, complete with TfL roundel and red, white and blue livery, have been posted on Twitter by various users — including Secrets of the Underground presenter Tim Dunn, who spotted the pics on Reddit:
Excitingly, pics of @TfL’s new tube train for Piccadilly appeared on Reddit tonight. Show first @SiemensMobility unit in Germany ahead of testing. Note walk-thru articulated (& wider, cos shorter) cars to increase capacity. Aircon will use much space below. Due in service 2025. pic.twitter.com/jcPkSrEDbS
— Tim Dunn (@MrTimDunn) July 19, 2023
New trains for the Piccadilly in Germany. These will be a huge upgrade for London when they’re introduced. Hopefully feeding into a wider line and signalling upgrade in the next 5-10 years (subject to funding) 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/sG40Ygjd1k
— Ed Dawes (@mindthedawes) July 19, 2023
(Note that although it was initially stated the photos were taken in Germany, it was later confirmed that they were snapped at a railway yard in St Pölten, Austria, close to Siemens' manufacturing facility).
It's not every day that you see a tube train rolling through St. Pölten Hbf, Austria 😯 @geofftech (Photo taken by @S_Baeumchen) pic.twitter.com/d5O99Ek6GJ
— Jonas Gaiswinkler (@JGaiswinkler) July 19, 2023
A reminder of what we've got to look forward to: improved accessibility including wider doors and walk-through carriages; air conditioning; and a 10% increase in capacity compared to current Piccadilly line stock (which has been around since 1973, FYI).
So, when do we get to ride these beauties? TfL is expecting them to be in service on the Piccadilly line in 2025. They could well be rolled out onto the other deep-level lines (Bakerloo, Central and Waterloo & City) after that. In the meantime, we'll be gazing in the general direction of Austria, with a look of pining in our eyes.
