The UK’s London Underground (LU) has launched the invitation to tender (ITT) for the design and build of the New Tube for London trains.
Expected to cost between £1bn and £2.5bn, the ITT for the order was originally due to be issued in early last year.
The order is for the construction of 250 new trains. This includes 100 for the Piccadilly line, ten for the Waterloo & City line, 40 for the Bakerloo line and 100 for the Central line.
The five pre-qualified manufacturers, including Alstom, Bombardier, CAF, Hitachi and Siemens, will now able to proceed to the next stage of the procurement process for the new LU trains.
The shortlisted manufacturers will need to submit formal bids by later this year, with the contract expected to be awarded in late next year.
The procurement forms part of the New Tube for London programme to modernise rolling stock, infrastructure and signalling on these lines.
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By GlobalDataThe new walkthrough, air-cooled trains are set to enter into service on these lines by the early 2020s.
London mayor Boris Johnson said: "Over the last few years, we have seen the completion of several major signalling upgrades on the Tube, as well as the delivery of 191 brand new, air-conditioned walkthrough trains.
"But it is clear that London must have continued investment in its Tube network if it is to continue to flourish, and that is why I have argued so hard to protect our capital investment programme.
The new trains will be able to offer faster, more frequent and more reliable journeys on the deep-level lines.
They will also increase capacity and comfort across the service while maximising accessibility and safety through widened doors.
LU managing director Nick Brown said: "Today’s invitation to train manufacturers to submit bids for the design and build of the New Tube is a significant step forward. Londoners have already seen huge improvements to the Tube network, but to meet the needs of our rapidly growing population, we must continue to invest in and improve our services.
"More people are using the Underground than at any point in its 153-year history. The New Tube for London will transform the journeys of millions of customers, providing trains fit for a world city for the next five decades."
With these new trains, the capacity on the Piccadilly line will be increased by 60% while the other lines’ capacity will boosted between 25 and 35%.
Image: A deep-level Central line train at Lancaster Gate bound for Ealing Broadway. Photo: courtesy of tompagenet via Wikipedia.