The Piccadilly line will be partly closed for two weeks

Transport for London (TfL) said the upgrades are essential to ensure the line is ready for the first new Piccadilly line trains which will arrive in London later this year for testing.

They will then be introduced as a fleet of 94 new trains from 2025. This is part of a £2.9bn investment to modernise the line, to help it run more “reliably, safely, inclusively and sustainably”.

The Piccadilly line between Wood Green to Cockfosters and Rayners Lane to Uxbridge from Saturday August 17 to Sunday September 1

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Rail replacement buses will serve all stations between Wood Green and Cockfosters although customers travelling to central London may find it quicker to use local bus services to connect to nearby alternative Tube and rail stations.

TfL says the work to be carried out includes renewing track, points and crossings in the Arnos Grove area, and work around Cockfosters Tube station, Cockfosters Depot and the Arnos Grove train sidings to prepare for the new Piccadilly line trains.

Piccadilly line customers are advised to plan ahead by using TfL’s real-time travel information tools including TfL Journey Planner and TfL Go, to check before travelling and to allow more time for their journeys

Stuart Harvey, Chief Capital Officer at TfL, said: “I’d like to thank our customers for their patience while we carry out these essential upgrades to the Piccadilly line. 

“The closures will help us prepare for the arrival of the fleet of 94 brand-new trains which will transform journeys on the line in the coming decades. Introducing a new fleet of trains is a huge engineering and logistical feat. 

“Although much of the hard work goes on behind the scenes, there are times when we need to close sections of the railway to ensure that all existing infrastructure is compatible with the new trains. 

“Closures of this type are scheduled to take place, where possible, in school holidays when demand on our network is significantly reduced.”

Up to 80% of the new Piccadilly line trains will be built in the UK at Siemens Mobility’s new manufacturing facility in Goole, Yorkshire. 

The new trains will feature walk-through carriages, wider all-double doorways to help customers get on and off more easily, enhanced digital display screens for customer information, on-train CCTV cameras for additional customer security and will, for the first time on a Deep Tube train, provide air-conditioning. 

They will increase capacity by 10% and will also improve energy efficiency and accessibility.