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Anyone who was unlucky enough to have sweated it out on the Piccadilly line during the heatwave will know that it gets seriously hot down there. Temperatures rose to a sweltering 33 degrees as warm air built up in tunnels buried far underground. But cooler days are on their way. The Piccadilly line is set to be the first deep-level tube line to get air-conditioning, and the engineers of its new trains have just unveiled their vision for keeping commuters cool.
Currently, only 40 percent of London’s tube network is air-conditioned, and it tends to be the lines that are closest to the surface (because the heat can easily be vented to ground level). The deeper lines are a bit more challenging to cool, thanks to narrower tunnels, the difficulty of digging new shafts up through the prime real estate above them, and the heat-retentive properties of the thick layer of London clay that surrounds them. Still, help is at hand.
Siemens Mobility and Transport for London just unveiled the new Inspiro London Piccadilly line train at Berlin’s big railway exhibition InnoTrans. Ninety-four vehicles are currently being manufactured (mostly in a purpose-built factory in Goole, Yorkshire) before being rolled out between December 2026 and June 2027: the perfect Christmas pressie for dark blue line regulars.
The new trains have got an impressive array of features, including built-in CCTV, walk-through carriages, enhanced accessibility, improved digital information systems - and best of all, air-conditioning. The trains’ innovative design places air-conditioning technology below the floor of the train, making it space-efficient in narrow tunnels, and a new regenerative braking system minimises the heat the trains themselves generate.
Looks-wise, they’re not much of a departure from the standard tube train format, but they do offer 10 percent more space, meaning you’re even less likely to get sweaty on a Piccadilly line train next summer. The platforms, however? Probably best to bring some spare deodorant, just in case.
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