London Underground’s Piccadilly Line Set to Fully Reopen by Late January
The Piccadilly line will fully reopen at the end of January after a two-month closure due to severe weather and train issues
London, UK, Piccadilly Line, Transport for London, Train Services
London: So, the Piccadilly line is finally getting back on track! Transport for London announced it will fully reopen by the end of January after being closed for two months. The closure was mainly due to some wild weather that caused a lot of leaves to fall, thanks to two storms back in mid-November.
It turns out, nearly all the trains on the Piccadilly line were affected by something called “wheel flats.” This happens when the brakes are slammed on, but the wheels just slide, which can really mess up the tracks.
Right now, only 60 trains are running, which is 15 short of what they need for a full schedule. TfL is working hard on repairs, but it’s a slow process, so we’ll have to wait a bit longer.
Leaf fall is a regular headache for the Piccadilly line in autumn. The folks at Transport for London say it’s because the trains are some of the oldest in the whole Underground system.
But there’s good news! By late 2025, they’ll be rolling out new, larger trains. The newer ones on other lines haven’t had as many issues with leaves, so we should see a smoother ride next autumn and winter.
Richard Jones, who’s in charge of asset performance at TfL, has apologized to passengers for the hassle. He mentioned that the old trains have taken a beating from the weather, which is why they’ve had to pause services between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge.
He reassured everyone that essential repairs are underway to keep things safe and reliable until the new trains arrive. The good news is that they expect to have the full Piccadilly line service back up and running by late January!
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