Piccadilly line power upgrade will support 23% capacity increase

Balfour Beatty has secured a £50m contract to deliver power upgrade works to London Underground’s Piccadilly line.

The deal is the first of several packages to be let under the six-year London Underground High Voltage (HV) Power framework which Balfour Beatty won a place on earlier this year.

Balfour Beatty will be responsible for the design, supply and installation of new assets along the Piccadilly line to support the increase in traction power required to run the next generation of trains which will be introduced from 2025.

On completion, the scheme will support a 23% increase in capacity on the Piccadilly line at the busiest times, with new, longer trains scheduled every 135 seconds from 2027.

Works will include the renewal and replacement of High Voltage and Low Voltage Switchboards along with new HV Cables at several substations across the Piccadilly line including Cockfosters, Hyde Park Corner, Northfields, Sudbury Hill and Leicester Square.

Matthew Steele, Managing Director of Balfour Beatty’s Rail & Utilities business, said, “This latest contract award is testament to our unrivalled capability and deep domain knowledge in delivering underground rail works.

“Once complete, the programme will transform travel for thousands of passengers each day and ensure that the London Underground can continue to run a reliable and safe service for many more years to come.”

Works are expected to be complete in 2025.