Part of the Piccadilly line between Hammersmith and Cockfosters will be closed this weekend, from Saturday, 24th to Monday, 26th May, to enable Transport for London to carry out improvement works.

The eastbound section of the Piccadilly line will be suspended, including for night trains, from Hammersmith to Cockfosters for improvements to the track as part of a £2.9 billion package of improvements to the tube line, which accounts for 10 per cent of all London Underground journeys.

As well as track improvements, 94 new trains for the line are being built by Siemens Mobility at the Goole Rail Village.

The first new train was delivered last October and is now undergoing a 12-month intensive testing programme.

The new trains are scheduled to start service on the line by the end of this year, when they will replace the existing trains that have been operating services on the line for the past 50 years.

The new trains have walk-through carriages, air-conditioning, wider doorways, improved digital customer information screens, better step-free access, and on-board CCTV cameras.

It is planned that once the 94 new trains have replaced the 86 existing trains, at the busiest times, the service frequency through central London will increase from 24 to 27 trains an hour.

As well as new trains, stations are being improved with better accessibility including installing platform humps or manual boarding ramps and adjusting platform edges and track positions to reduce platform-to-train stepping distances and heights to make it easier to board and alight from trains.

While the line is closed, Transport for London advises that passengers should use other tube lines, bus services, or rail replacement bus services. Further information about the closure and live service updates can be found on the Transport for London website.