Major upgrade work has been unveiled at Ealing Common, Boston Manor and Sudbury Hill Tube stations on the Piccadilly Line.

Passengers on the Piccadilly line will notice the vast improvements

The latest technology has been employed to improve passenger safety and security at all three stations while carefully restoring heritage features in the Grade II listed buildings.

Ealing Common, Boston Manor and Sudbury Hill are three of ten Tube stations to be upgraded as part of Transport for London's (TfL's) 5-Year £10bn Investment Programme.

The work at all stations has been delivered on time and on budget by Tube Lines.

Mayor of London Ken Livingstone said: "The upgrade of Ealing Common, Boston Manor, and Sudbury Hill Tube stations is another milestone in the transformation of the Tube.

"Passengers will see the latest safety and security equipment, whilst each station's historic features have been lovingly restored.

"The works are part of Transport for London's 5-Year £10bn Investment Programme which is delivering a public transport system needed to support London's growth and prosperity.

"It follows the recent completion of major improvements at Wembley Park Tube Station to support the new Wembley Stadium, the addition of extra carriages on the Jubilee line to carry an additional 6,000 passengers every hour in the morning and evening peaks and the Docklands Light Railway extension to City Airport."

Heritage features

Mike Challis, Piccadilly Line General Manager, said: "The work to improve these three stations in Ealing has carefully balanced the old with the new.

"The latest technology has been used to improve safety and security for passengers, vastly increasing the number of CCTV cameras at each station, while heritage features have been sympathetically restored. "

"Passengers on the Piccadilly line will notice the vast improvements.

"These stations have been restored to their former glory, preserving their individual characters while bringing them up to modern standards with the latest in security and communication improvements."

The security improvements at Ealing Common, Boston Manor and Sudbury Hill include enhanced lighting, extra Help Points and a major boost to the numbers of CCTV cameras, which has more than doubled at Ealing Common (to 39), trebled at Sudbury Hill (to 29) and quadrupled at Boston Manor (to 34).

All work was carefully planned to preserve the 1930's architecture, with particular attention to a patterned frieze in Ealing Common and Boston Manor ticket halls.

Original colour schemes were also maintained, along with heritage features such as London Underground roundels and analogue clocks.

The seven other stations that have been upgraded are:

  • Manor House (Piccadilly)
  • Turnpike Lane (Piccadilly)
  • Caledonian Road (Piccadilly)
  • St John's Wood (Jubilee)
  • Stockwell (Northern)
  • Golders Green (Northern)
  • Morden (Northern)

All ten stations have been made cleaner, brighter and even safer than before through:

  • Structural repairs and fresh paintwork throughout
  • New tiling, preserving heritage features
  • Tactile paving on platforms to assist the visually impaired
  • New information indicator boards on platforms and in ticket halls
  • Improved lighting
  • Additional CCTV cameras and improvements to the CCTV system
  • Upgraded PA systems and extra Help Points
  • Improved seating

The majority of work was carried out at night to limit disruption to passengers.

Tube Lines Chief Executive Terry Morgan said:"With these ten stations now being complete, we are over a fifth of the way through upgrading nearly every station on the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines.

"Another ten stations will be completed later this year and work is starting at a further 18 stations.

"The stations look brighter and feel safer, not least because of the installation of additional

  • About the work at Ealing Common:
    It was delivered over 10 months and completed in January 2006.
    It took approximately 32,000 man hours, with up to 56 workers on site at once
    Twenty-four new CCTV cameras (total number now 39), 20 additional seats, 20,000 tiles and 43km of cabling were installed
  • About the work at Boston Manor:
    It was delivered over 11 months and completed in January 2006
    It took approximately 30,000 man hours, with up to 49 workers on site at once
    26 new CCTV cameras (total number now 34), 16 extra seats, 3,000 tiles and 27km of cabling were installed
  • About the work at Sudbury Hill:
    It was delivered over 11 months and completed in January 2006
    It took approximately 45,000 man hours, with up to 60 workers on site at once
    21 new CCTV cameras (total number now 29), 32 extra seats, 15,000 tiles and 47km of cabling were installed
  • Tube Lines are responsible for the maintenance and renewal of the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines
  • The Mayor and TfL are investing £10bn over the next five years to improve and expand London's transport network. More than half of this investment is in the Tube