The Deep Tube Upgrade Programme originally covered the replacement of the trains and signalling on the Bakerloo and Piccadilly lines; it had been expanded to cover rolling stock requirements arising from the planned Northern line extension to Battersea, the eventual replacement of Central line trains, as well as the proposed increased service frequency on the Northern and Jubilee lines. The EVO tube concept design, a lighter articulated train with walk-through cars, was introduced early in 2011. Siemens presented a response in 2011, a design with the weight reduced by and energy consumption reduced by 17 per cent, thus generating less heat to be dispersed in the tunnels. The trains would have a lower floor and 11 per cent higher passenger capacity than the current tube trains. Siemens presented a mock-up of its Inspiro design at The Crystal between October 2013 and January 2014.
New Tube for London
In early 2014 the Bakerloo, Piccadilly, Central and Waterloo & City line rolling stock replacement project was renamed New Tube for London and moved from its feasibility stage to the design and specification stage. The study had shown that for new generation trains and re-signalling:
Piccadilly line capacity could be increased by 60% with 33 trains per hour at peak times by 2025.
Central line capacity increased by 25% with 33 trains per hour at peak times by 2030.
Waterloo & City line capacity increased by 50% by 2032, after the track at Waterloo station was remodelled.
Bakerloo line capacity could be increased by 25% with 27 trains per hour at peak times by 2033.
The project is estimated to cost £16.42 billion. A notice was published on 28 February 2014 in the Official Journal of the European Union asking for expressions of interest in building the trains. On 9 October 2014 Transport for London published a shortlist of those who had expressed an interest in supplying 250 trains for between £1.0 billion and £2.5 billion; on the same day opened an exhibition with a design by PriestmanGoode. The fully automated trains may be able to run without drivers, but the ASLEF and RMT trade unions that represent the drivers strongly oppose this, saying it would affect safety. The invitation to tender for the trains was issued in January 2016 with the first train to run on the Piccadilly line in 2023. Siemens Mobility's Inspiro design was selected in June 2018 for the Piccadilly line stock in a £1.5 billion contract for 94 trains that are to be assembled in Goole. In July 2018, the award was challenged in the High Court by the Hitachi/Bombardier joint consortium. The challenge was unsuccessful; Siemens was awarded the contract in November, with deliveries to begin in 2023 and an entry into service in 2024.
