All the TfL transport upgrades planned in London for 2026
Travelling in London can feel like doom and gloom sometimes, but there is some light at the end of the tunnel with some major transport upgrades coming up.
If you have ever been packed into a sweaty rush-hour Tube, the chances are you’ve prayed for better services, and soon.
While making upgrades to the vast and heavily used London transport network doesn’t happen overnight, progress is being made for a spate of much-needed updates, including the Elizabeth and Piccadilly lines.
Here is a breakdown of where the upgrades are coming up.
Elizabeth line
The Lizzy line, one of the most popular routes on the TfL network with around 800,000 journeys daily, will get 10 new trains this spring.
Currently in production, the extra fleet will be rolled out on routes that need more frequent services.
Passengers using the reportedly overcrowded Acton Main Line, Southall and Hanwell stations will be served by three additional trains every morning from May thanks to the new trains.
Piccadilly line
The Piccadilly line upgrade to replace the existing trains with 94 new, air-conditioned trains hit a setback last summer.
It was discovered that the testing will be ‘more complex than expected,’ and the launch was delayed by a year.
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The new fleet, which will add 10% more capacity, is expected to be rolled out between July and December, with all 94 trains in service by the end of 2027.
Central line
The red line running east-west through London has looked worse for wear, with passengers reporting graffiti inside and outside the carriages.
But a planned refurbishment of the trains is behind schedule due to engine failures that had to take priority so that services were not affected, meaning only three trains on the line have been renovated.
The remaining 76 are expected to be done by the end of 2029.
DLR
The Docklands Light Railway, which has been driverless already since the 1980s, is getting 54 new trains with air-conditioning, USB phone charging and better accessibility.
They will replace the oldest ones in the fleet, some of which have been in action for over 30 years.
Plans are underway for a £1.62 billion extension of the DLR between Beckton Riverside and Thamesmead.
Superloop buses
The Superloop network is made of 12 express bus routes designed to be faster than the usual buses as they have fewer stops.
The latest addition to the superloop family is SL11, connecting North Greenwich and Abbey Wood in southeast London, which launched last month.
SL12 is the next Superloop route coming up later this year between Gants Hill and Rainham.
Meanwhile, TfL is looking to change several bus routes after falling passenger numbers, with some routes possibly being axed.
Mobile signal
Those annoyed by the patchy Internet coverage on the Underground can let out a sigh of relief as more tunnels and stations are being connected.
You are likely to see more people on their phones at these stations, which are set to get 4G and 5G coverage in the coming months:
- Euston Square
- Cannon Street
- Battersea Power Station
- Kings Cross St Pancras
- Gloucester Road
- Warwick Avenue
- Vauxhall
London Trams
One of London’s lesser-known facts is that it has trams.
Trundling between Wimbledon, Croydon and Beckenham Junction, the ageing tram fleet is set to be replaced.
What about the Bakerloo line extension?
This one has been on TfL’s – and passengers’ – wishlist for years.
While the major missing link to make it a reality is missing, which is money from the government, work has started behind the scenes to lay the groundwork for the planned extension.
It will stretch the Bakerloo line from Elephant and Castle to Lewisham to begin with, adding two new stations.
Until the proposed extension is up and running, projected to be sometime after 2034, the route will be served by the Bakerloop express bus, which is part of the Superloop network.
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