Balfour Beatty wins Piccadilly Line upgrade contract

Balfour Beatty has been awarded a £50 million contact by London Underground to deliver upgrade works to the Piccadilly Line.

The contract is the first of several packages to be let under the new LU High Voltage Power Framework, to which Balfour Beatty was appointed earlier this year. The framework will run for six years with an option to extend it by a further two.

Balfour Beatty will be responsible for the design, supply and installation of new assets on the Piccadilly Line, to support the increase in traction power needed to run a next generation of trains.

Once the new Siemens Mobility trains have been introduced from 2025, there will be a 23% increase in capacity on the Piccadilly Line at peak times, with services scheduled to arrive at stations every 135 seconds from 2027.

Works will comprise the replacement of ageing assets on the route - including high-voltage and low-voltage switchboards, and new cables at substations located at Cockfosters, Hyde Park Corner, Northfields, Sudbury Hill and Leicester Square.

“This latest contract award is a significant achievement, building on our 19-year relationship with LU,” said Matthew Steele, MD of Balfour Beatty’s Rail & Utilities business.

“Once complete, the programme will transform travel for thousands of passengers each day and ensure that LU can continue to run a reliable and safe service for many more years to come.”

Works are due to commence this month, with completion expected in 2025. At peak construction, the company will employ some 80 people, 10% of whom will be graduates or apprentices.