{"id":533835,"date":"2026-01-05T12:32:27","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T12:32:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.constructionnews.co.uk\/?p=533835"},"modified":"2026-01-05T12:32:27","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T12:32:27","slug":"powering-the-piccadilly-line-with-the-latest-tech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.constructionnews.co.uk\/project-reports\/powering-the-piccadilly-line-with-the-latest-tech-05-01-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Powering the Piccadilly line with the latest tech"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Project name:<\/strong> Piccadilly Line Power Upgrade
\nClient:<\/strong> Transport for London
\nMain contractor:<\/strong> Balfour Beatty
\nContract value:<\/strong> Package A \u2013 \u00a353m; Package C \u2013 \u00a350m
\nContract type:<\/strong> NEC Option C (Target Cost)
\nCivils subcontractors:<\/strong> VGC Group (Package A); Global Rail Construction (Package C)
\nStart onsite:<\/strong> 2022
\nContract completion:<\/strong> Early 2027<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Stepping into an unassuming, windowless, red-brick building down a side street near Northfields Tube station in West London feels a bit like stepping into Dr Who\u2019s Tardis. No, it isn\u2019t bigger on the inside than the outside. But it is full of cabinets with knobs and dials that wouldn\u2019t look out of place in a black-and-white sci-fi fantasy adventure. This is Northfields Underground Substation, one of 21 such facilities powering the trains hurtling along the Piccadilly line.<\/p>\n

Balfour Beatty has the vital, if unromantic, task of ripping out the vintage equipment on seven of the substations and replacing it with 21st century technology. The job is to provide the electricity backbone for the line\u2019s shiny new train fleet, due to start entering service in the second half of 2026. Inside the Northfields building, ageing switchgear and transformers still hum with the current that keeps the fleet running. In their place, contractors must install modern high-voltage (HV) and low-voltage (LV) switchboards, rectifiers, transformers and auxiliary systems.<\/p>\n

The client, Transport for London (TfL), has split the Piccadilly line power upgrade into packages, with Balfour Beatty winning two of them. Package A involves five substations \u2013 Sudbury Hill, Hyde Park Corner, Leicester Square, Northfields and Cockfosters \u2013 while package C covers two more \u2013 Hatton Cross and Hounslow. Together they provide traction power and auxiliary supply to more than 30km of track, depots and stations.<\/p>\n

Delivering work of this complexity depends on a tightly coordinated workforce. On a typical shift, about 10 workers are stationed at each substation. Their job is to install new rectifiers, which take the 11,000 volts alternative current supply from the local electricity distribution network and convert it into the nominal 750 volts needed to power the new trains. To make the system resilient, the number of rectifiers at some sites is increasing from four to six.<\/p>\n

The old rectifiers they are replacing have a nominal capacity of just 630 volts. Michael Nutbrown, operations director at Balfour Beatty, says the step-up is essential. \u201cThe new trains have a different acceleration curve. They put a bigger load on the system, so you need the higher voltage to support them.\u201d<\/p>\n

New HV switchboards \u2013 used to control, protect, and isolate electrical equipment \u2013 are also being installed, along with transformers to allow changes to voltage levels without changing the frequency.<\/p>\n

Some of the equipment has been developed in-house. LV switchboards powering lighting and equipment within the substations are built at Balfour Beatty\u2019s Glasgow Power Engineering Centre, based on 25 years of design evolution. In contrast, the HV boards are bespoke to TfL specifications and procured from external manufacturers. \u201cIt comes down to volumes,\u201d says Nutbrown. \u201cThere are only seven HV switchboards on this job, so it does not justify setting up production. But the LV equipment has a much broader market.\u201d<\/p>\n

Communication systems are also being modernised. The substations now use IEC 61850 protocols, allowing far more detailed monitoring of faults and performance. Remote terminal units send a constant stream of data via fibre-optic cables to the control centre (its location is secret for security reasons). \u201cIf you accidentally hit a button here, someone in the control room will be on the phone straight away,\u201d Nutbrown says.<\/p>\n

The battery systems now contain 120 backup cells \u2013 double the previous number. These ensure that if mains power fails, control and tripping circuits still operate. \u201cThe batteries are only for safety, but they are essential,\u201d Nutbrown says. \u201cYou can switch equipment off remotely and bring it back safely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mess rooms are being demolished and rebuilt in new corners once the permanent switchboards are in place. \u201cIt is like playing a giant game of Tetris,\u201d says Nutbrown. \u201cYou find a space, put a piece in, then move something else out. All the time, the system has to stay operational.\u201d The hazards are constant. Before entering any substation, crews attend detailed briefings covering escape routes, emergency contacts and local hazards. The team has adopted a \u201cstop and change\u201d rule. If anyone thinks something looks wrong, work stops until it is reviewed. The team also uses a colour-coded glove system to ensure everyone is wearing protection suited to the task. \u201cIf you see someone on heavy metalwork, you can see instantly whether they are wearing the wrong ones,\u201d Nutbrown says. This, he says, enhances training and supervision. \u201cWe have people from across the country and a lot of new starters. Getting everyone to the same standard takes time. You have to build confidence before they go anywhere near the live equipment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Outside, meanwhile, laying new cable to connect stations takes place at night, when the trains have stopped running and the system is powered down. Cable pulls, which require extended access, are carried out in bursts with larger crews. Mostly, however, night teams of around 30 people \u2013 broken down into gangs of eight \u2013 work trackside to install new infrastructure. In total, the gangs are installing around 30km of HV trackside cable and 40km of fibre optic cable for communications.<\/p>\n

On this part of the job, the Balfour Beatty team innovated, using shallow-foundation steel posts to carry the containment for the cabling. The design eliminated the need for deep excavations beside the track, cutting the risk of clashes with buried services and reducing the time needed for possessions. \u201cThe old posts went down nearly a metre,\u201d Nutbrown says. \u201cThese only need a fraction of that, so we can set several in a single shift.\u201d The change has shortened the civils programme and simplified access for future maintenance.<\/p>\n

Dangerous work<\/h3>\n

The most dangerous part of the job comes when this external cabling is connected to the newly installed substation equipment. New jointing bays are built so that existing live cables can be cut over during night possessions. \u201cWe bring a new cable into the switchboard, prove it and test it, then make the joint on the night,\u201d says Nutbrown. \u201cOnce it is live, the old board can be stripped out.\u201d At Northfields, this work happens in the basement, where there is less than two metres between floor and ceiling. The floor is uneven, lighting is rudimentary and flooding is a constant danger.<\/p>\n

Balfour Beatty is now an old hand at London Underground power work. The company has previously delivered upgrades on the Northern, Victoria, Metropolitan and District lines. Lessons from those projects have fed into the Piccadilly line programme. Nutbrown says: \u201cEvery line is different, but we have learned how to phase works, how to introduce new products and how to work within the approvals process. That experience is invaluable.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the first new HV switchboard on the network now energised, momentum is building. The programme will continue through 2026, in time for the delivery of the new Siemens Mobility-built trains. \u201cWhen the new trains come into service, passengers will see the difference straight away,\u201d Nutbrown says \u201cBut the real story is behind the scenes \u2013 the power system that makes it possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Safety first<\/h3>\n

Working on London Underground\u2019s power network means dealing daily with 11 kV equipment and strict layers of control. TfL\u2019s own electrical-safety systems run in parallel with Balfour Beatty\u2019s, ensuring every isolation and reconnection follows a fixed sequence.<\/p>\n

Outages are planned through an eight-week cycle managed by TfL\u2019s power-planning team. \u201cWe can\u2019t just wander in and switch stuff off,\u201d Balfour Beatty operations director Michael Nutbrown says. \u201cThe plan is agreed, published and locked off before we start work.\u201d Once approved, engineers liaise directly with the control room to isolate, test and permit each circuit. Track access for cabling is arranged during engineering hours or full possessions. Nutbrown says the clarity of standards across the Underground is what keeps people safe. \u201cThey\u2019re precise, and if you follow them, the job\u2019s done safely and right,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Hyde Park Corner<\/h3>\n

Of all the Piccadilly line sites, Hyde Park Corner presents the most high-profile address and the tightest access. The substation sits directly beneath a luxury hotel, reached only through a small hatch in the building\u2019s front forecourt and underground car park. Every item of plant must be craned or wheeled through those same routes, under the gaze of guests and passing traffic. In the early days, the team had to ask guests to move their cars off the hatch every time they wanted access.<\/p>\n

The team must also manage public interest in one of central London\u2019s busiest areas. Deliveries are timed to avoid congestion, with materials moved in and out at night. Staff travel to site by public transport to reduce vehicle movements. \u201cGetting equipment down and in and out is the hard bit,\u201d says Balfour Beatty operations director Michael Nutbrown. \u201cEverything else follows from that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Project name: Piccadilly Line Power Upgrade Client: Transport for London Main contractor: Balfour Beatty Contract value: Package A \u2013 \u00a353m; Package C \u2013 \u00a350m Contract type: NEC Option C (Target Cost) Civils subcontractors: VGC Group (Package A); Global Rail Construction (Package C) Start onsite: 2022 Contract completion: Early 2027 Stepping into an unassuming, windowless, red-brick …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":129711,"featured_media":533840,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-533835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-project-reports"],"yoast_head":"\nPowering the Piccadilly line with the latest tech | Construction News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Project name: Piccadilly Line Power Upgrade Client: Transport for London Main contractor: Balfour Beatty Contract value: Package A \u2013 \u00a353m; 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