London Underground: First look at new Piccadilly line trains

The Mayor of London has used a visit to a Yorkshire factory where new Tube trains are being built to call on the government for more long-term funding for Transport for London (TfL).

Half of the 94 new Piccadilly line trains, which passengers will see in 2025, are being built at the Siemens Mobility site in Goole.

The Goole factory employs up to 700 people in engineering and manufacturing, 250 in construction, and 1,700 in the broader supply chain.

Future TfL contracts which support those jobs were "at risk" unless the government agreed a long-term capital funding deal, Mr Khan said.

The Department for Transport said it would consider longer-term funds if TfL gave more information about its plans.

TfL has time-limited options built into its contract with Siemens Mobility to also build new trains for the Bakerloo, Central and Waterloo and City lines.

With sufficient funding, these options could be activated, providing ongoing work for the Goole factory.

However, under a managed decline scenario, the date for new trains for the Bakerloo and Central line would be pushed back to the late 2030s /early 2040s.

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “Visiting this Yorkshire factory and the state-of-the-art Piccadilly Line trains being built, it is clear how strong London’s relationships with our regional suppliers are – demonstrating just how vital skills and expertise around the country is to London’s success and how investment in TfL is vital to jobs and a UK wide recovery.

“Without sufficient capital investment in TfL, future contracts with regional suppliers are at risk.

“The best way to secure these highly skilled jobs into the future is for ministers to break the continuous cycle of short-term funding deals handed to TfL which only holds back London and the rest of the country from innovation, jobs and economic growth.

“When London succeeds, the country succeeds and vice versa.

“This week the Government has the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to levelling up and deliver the capital funding TfL and its supply chain need – without it, both London and the wider country will be held back.”

A DfT spokesperson said: "We have repeatedly shown our commitment to supporting London’s transport network throughout the pandemic, providing close to £5bn in emergency funding to Transport for London.

"We recognise the need for certainty and stability in their capital investment programme which is why we will conditionally consider longer-term capital settlements for TfL should they provide sufficient information."