Line History:

Although planned at the end of the nineteenth century as two separate railways, the Picadilly 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 (9.5 miles) 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. 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. The Piccadilly Line's train service is monitored and controlled by the signalling control centre at Earl's Court.

Stations and Trains:

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 depots 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 will be refurbished in a major programme during the period 1996-1999. 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. 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 westbound tracks is fitted with water sprays for train braking and wheel adhesion trials. Piccadilly Line trains run non-stop from Acton Town to Hammersmith at most times. Between Hammersmith and Barons Court there is a doubl e-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 an d 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.

Piccadilly route map:

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