History

Although planned at the end of the nineteenth century as two separate railways, the Piccadilly Line is principally the legacy of one of the great pioneers of tube railways, the American entrepreneur, Charles Tyson Yerkes. Yerkes initially acquired the District in 1901 and then in 1902 formed the Underground Electric Railways Company to fund construction of the Hampstead (now part of the Northern), Baker Street and Waterloo (the Bakerloo) and the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton (Piccadilly) railways, but tragically Yerkes died in 1905 before any of these new tube lines opened. The original Piccadilly line, which was opened on 15th December 1906, consisted of 15.3 km (nine and a half mile) twin tunnels from Finsbury Park to Barons Court and a short section of surface track on to Hammersmith. A branch to Aldwych opened the following year.

No major developments took place on the Piccadilly until the early 1930s when it grew rapidly. The extensions to South Harrow and Arnos Grove were opened in 1932 and those to Hounslow West, Uxbridge and Cockfosters were completed in 1933.

In more recent years, the Piccadilly Line was extended west from Hounslow West to serve Hatton Cross (1975) and Heathrow Terminals 1, 2, 3 (1977). In 1986, the Heathrow terminal was developed into a loop which also serves Terminal 4. BAA is seeking to build a new Terminal 5 on the west side of Heathrow Airport, and a scheme to extend the Piccadilly Line to serve a station within the new terminal has been drawn up by London Underground in tandem with BAA's plans. If the plans are approved the new terminal and the station could open in 2005.

A peak-period shuttle service operated between Holborn and Aldwych until its closure on 30th September 1994. The service had been suffering from falling passenger numbers and a £7 million investment would have been needed to bring the station and track up to modern safety standards.

Running the Lines

London Underground is currently in the process of working towards the establishment of a public private partnership (PPP) designed to increase investment in the system. This follows the Government's announcement in March 1998 of its intention to divide London Underground into a publicly-owned operating company and three privately-owned infrastructure companies (Infracos) which will be contracted to maintain and enhance the infrastructure.

In order to facilitate the transition to the new PPP structure when the contractual arrangements are in place, the operational side of the Underground has been reorganised, with a structure based on individual lines or groups of lines replaced by one reflecting the proposed Infraco groupings. From September 1999, the Piccadilly Line has been grouped with the Jubilee and Northern Lines, with Mike Brown, Train Service Manager (JNP), and Howard Collins, Station Services Manager (JNP), jointly responsible for delivering train and station services which meet customers' requirements.

The Line's train service is monitored and controlled by the signalling control centre at Earl's Court.

Trains and Stations

The Piccadilly Line covers 71 km (44.3 miles) and serves 52 stations from Cockfosters to Heathrow and Uxbridge. 76 trains are required to operate the morning and evening peak period service.

Piccadilly Line trains are formed of 1973 tube stock and operate in six-car formations. The trains have space by the doors to accommodate luggage for the many passengers travelling to and from Heathrow Airport. They are serviced and cleaned in depôts at Northfields and Cockfosters, and there are also sidings for stabling trains at Arnos Grove.

The Piccadilly Line was the first of the deep-level tube lines to be converted to one-person operation, where the operator drives the train and controls the operation of the doors. The trains are being refurbished in a programme lasting until 2000.

Piccadilly Line stations show a variety of architectural styles reflecting the line's history. Of particular note are the 1930s stations of Charles Holden. Many of these designs, such as Southgate, Arnos Grove and Sudbury Town, are now highly regarded as examples of the best public architecture of the period and are listed buildings as are another 17 stations served by the line.
 
 

Intresting Features 40

The line holds one notable record for the London Underground system: the shortest distance between adjacent stations by rail is the 0.26 km (0.16 miles) between Leicester Square and Covent Garden.

There are four tracks between Northfields and Acton Town, and one of the two eastbound tracks is fitted with water sprays for train braking and wheel adhesion trials.

Piccadilly Line trains normally run non-stop from Acton Town to Hammersmith.

Between Hammersmith and Barons Court there is a double-ended siding which can be used to reverse eastbound or westbound trains. The Piccadilly twin-tube tunnels commence just east of Barons Court and the line remains in tunnel until Arnos Grove. There are reversing sidings underground at Hyde Park Corner and at Wood Green.

Southgate station is in a short separate tunnel section, as is the line beyond Hounslow West serving Hatton Cross, Heathrow Terminals 1, 2, 3 and Heathrow Terminal 4 stations (except for a short section on the surface between Hounslow west and Hatton Cross where the line crosses the River Crane).

There are four disused stations on the line, some parts of which can be glimpsed as trains pass through. They are:
 

York Road (closed 1932)	(between King's Cross and Caledonian Road)
Down Street (closed 1932)	(between Hyde Park Corner and Green Park)
Brompton Road (closed 1934)	(between South Kensington and Knightsbridge)
Osterley & Spring Grove (closed 1934)	(between Boston Manor and Osterley)

Further Informations

If you wish to comment on Piccadilly Line services, or wish to know more about the line, please contact:

Customer Services
Piccadilly Line
London Underground Limited
63 - 81 Pelham Street
London SW7 2NJ
Telephone 020 7918 5000