New Tube train vandalised with graffiti – before it’s even delivered

A brand new Tube train has been vandalised with graffiti before it had even made it into service. Graffiti artists tagged multiple carriages of a Piccadilly line train while the train was in transit from the manufacturer to its depot in the early hours of Monday morning. The acts of vandalism come amid Transport for London’s modernisation drive, which will see 96 new Piccadilly line trains take to the tracks by 2028. The incident is understood to have taken place at Latchmere Junction near Clapham while the train was in transit from Siemens Mobility UK in Goole, Yorkshire. Chris Date, a train enthusiast from Sussex, said on X that the train was forced to stop for 20 minutes in an area “known as a hotspot for graffiti” to allow for Overground trains to pass. Mr Date claimed that TfL had “requested a clear run”, which was allegedly denied by Network Rail. The train is understood to have already been cleaned of the graffiti on its arrival at the depot. Graffiti tagging has become associated with turf rivalry – as gang members look to cross out, reverse or turn their counterparts’ symbols upside down to show disrespect. New fleet of trains...