Alstom challenges award of Piccadilly Line train order

Alstom has filed a High Court claim alleging that Transport for London ‘botched’ the procurement of the new Piccadilly Line train order awarded to Siemens ( RAIL 856).

The French firm failed in its bid for the 94-train order, which could yet rise to as many as 250 trains. It is the second losing bidder to challenge the decision, after the Bombardier/Hitachi Joint Venture also filed a complaint.

The first new trains are due for delivery in 2023. However, the legal challenges now threaten to delay the process.

An Alstom spokesman told RAIL on September 3: “Alstom believe our bid was very competitive and it was based on successful experience of delivering metro trains around the world, including London. Alstom is proud of our successful projects in London, including the maintenance of Northern Line rolling stock. We do not comment on ongoing legal matters.”

The £1.5 billion deal awarded to German manufacturer Siemens is the first of a series of planned Deep Tube replacements. Transport for London plans that the same train will be ordered to replace rolling stock on the Piccadilly (as many as 109 trains), Bakerloo (40 trains), Central (100 trains) and Waterloo & City (ten trains) lines. The organisation is selling its Bombardier-built Class 345 Aventra fleet to help raise funds to pay for the Deep Tube stock.

Although Alstom and Siemens plan to merge, subject to European Union approval, the two companies remain separate entities. The German company plans to build the TfL order at a new factory at Goole, for which it announced plans earlier this year.