A brand new Tube train has been vandalised with graffiti before it had even made it into service.
Graffiti artists tagged multiple carriages of a Piccadilly line train while the train was in transit from the manufacturer to its depot in the early hours of Monday morning.
The acts of vandalism come amid Transport for London’s modernisation drive, which will see 96 new Piccadilly line trains take to the tracks by 2028.
The incident is understood to have taken place at Latchmere Junction near Clapham while the train was in transit from Siemens Mobility UK in Goole, Yorkshire.
Chris Date, a train enthusiast from Sussex, said on X that the train was forced to stop for 20 minutes in an area “known as a hotspot for graffiti” to allow for Overground trains to pass.
Mr Date claimed that TfL had “requested a clear run”, which was allegedly denied by Network Rail.
The train is understood to have already been cleaned of the graffiti on its arrival at the depot.
Graffiti tagging has become associated with turf rivalry – as gang members look to cross out, reverse or turn their counterparts’ symbols upside down to show disrespect.
New fleet of trains
Matt Willis, an agency rail worker, said on X: “You wonder how these people gain access to “secure” premises.”
The new fleet has walk-through carriages, more head space and will be the first deep-level Tube trains to have air conditioning.
They will also have digital display screens for customer information and on-train CCTV cameras while reducing energy consumption by 20 per cent.
A number of platforms along the Piccadilly line will have to be “shaved” to ensure the new trains – which are wider and longer – do not bump into the side as they enter the station.
Eastbound trains will not stop at Caledonian Road station from Oct 14 to Oct 31, as the station prepares for the new fleet of trains’ arrival.
The closure will be followed by a suspension of the westbound service at the station from Nov 4 to Nov 21.
All 94 new trains are expected to be on tracks for 2028, replacing the existing 86.
Criminal damage
It is hoped that the Piccadilly line revamp will increase the peak frequency of trains on the line from 24 to 27 per hour in each direction, which works out at one every 135 seconds.
This will increase the number of passengers that can be carried on the line by 23 per cent during peak times, according to TfL.
TfL are understood to be working closely with Network Rail and the British Transport Police to establish what happened in the early hours of Monday morning.
A British Transport Police spokesman said: “We received reports at around 6.45am yesterday [Oct 14] 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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