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Brown line-riding Londoners, rejoice! The oldest trains on the London Underground could finally be replaced before the decade is up.
At 53 years old, Bakerloo line trains have needed to retire for some time now. In 2024, Sadiq Khan said that they were 20 years past their use by date and deputy mayor for transport Seb Dance said that it was ‘quite astonishing’ they were even still working.
London Centric reported that last week TfL boss Andy Lord said that the ordering of new Bakerloo line trains could start in the coming months, thanks to a new £2.2bn new capital renewals program by the central government. Those trains would be walk-through and air-conditioned with CCTV, like the new Piccadilly line trains that are currently being built (but which were recently delayed).
However, Lord caveated that the trains still wouldn’t come into service until the latter end of the decade. That’s because there is a ‘significant amount of infrastructure upgrade’ needed on the line before the new trains can start running.
That’s about all the updates we have for now. Unfortunately there’s still no solid date in the diary for when the Bakerloo line will finally offer 21st century tube travel. The news comes soon after a report revealed that the majority of Londoners support proposals for a Bakerloo line extension, which can only happen once the current outdated trains are replaced. You can read more about what that extension would look like here.
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