TfL's first new Piccadilly line train gets covered in graffiti

Transport for London's new Piccadilly line train has been covered in graffiti only hours after arriving in London for the first time.

The test train - which was being transported from the Siemens factory in Vienna - is one of 94 new trains built to replace the 50-year-old fleet as part of a £2.9bn upgrade of the underground.

The act of vandalism is said to have happened early on Monday morning while the train was near the Latchmere rail junction, close to Clapham.

British Transport Police has now launched an investigation and is appealing for witnesses. 

This comes after an expert warned that London's public transport could have been brought to a 'standstill' last month after a cyberattack.

According to source, the graffiti spray paint had since been removed and the train has been restored to 'mint condition', the Standard report.

A spokesperson for British Transport Police said: 'We received reports at around 6.45am yesterday (14 October) of criminal damage to several train carriages.

'Enquiries are ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to contact BTP by texting 61016, quoting reference 75 of 14 October.'

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Mayor of London Sadiq Khan went up to see the new trains, which were being made at Siemens Mobility's new factory in Goole, East Yorkshire.

The test train was built in Siemens Mobility's factory in Vienna, Austria and has spent the last year on the test track in Wildenrath in Germany. 

From there, it made its 400-mile journey to London where it will undergo a period of commissioning activities before rigorous integration testing begins to ensure it is compatible with existing infrastructure on the Piccadilly line.  

The new Piccadilly line trains are set to transform the journeys of millions of customers on one of the Underground's busiest lines.

The nine-carriage trains will increase capacity by around 10 per cent and feature walk-through, air-conditioned carriages, wider all-double doorways to help customers get on and off more easily and enhanced digital display screens.

All of the new Piccadilly line trains are expected to be in service by the end of 2027 when the frequency of trains will increase from the current 24 trains per hour to 27 trains per hour. 

Khan said: 'It's an exciting moment for London as testing begins on the new Piccadilly line trains. These state-of-the-art trains – most of which will be manufactured here in the UK - will be more spacious, equipped with CCTV cameras and, for the first time ever in a Deep Tube train, air-conditioned, to make everyone's journeys more comfortable.

'These new trains are just one example of the work we're doing to continue delivering the world-class transport network Londoners deserve, building a better, greener London for everyone.'

In August, Khan was slammed for a 'thoughtless PR stunt' which saw TfL rake in £500,000 to temporarily change the name of two Tube stations.

A Freedom of Information request by the BBC has revealed TfL received two six-figure sums to temporarily change the name of London Underground stations in the past year.

The revelation has been criticised by Transport for All, a disabled-led campaign group, who claimed the TfL funding 'came at the expense of accessibility and safety for disabled passengers'.

Just a month prior, TfL was paid £300,000 to change Old Street's name to Fold Street as part of a collaboration with Samsung.

And in September 2023 Bond Street was renamed Burberry Street earning the transport operator a further £200,000.