New trains could be coming to part of the London Underground and they have upset some people before even hitting the tracks. Concerns have already been raised that the proposed new trains could make noise worse on the Piccadilly line.

Some sections of the network, including the Central, Jubilee, Victoria and Northern lines, have partly-automated trains, which start and stop automatically. The driver just operates the doors and drives the train if needed.

The movement of these trains is controlled automatically via the control and signalling systems rather than by the driver.

One drawback to this is more acceleration and braking by the automatic system means more wear and tear on the tracks, leading to higher noise levels.

The fears over this were raised with Sadiq Khan, who is chairman of Transport for London (TfL). Labour London Assembly Member Joanne McCartney said: “Automatic train operation is being introduced on the Piccadilly line.

“Given that automatic train operation has a direct link to an increase in Tube noise, both residential and in-tunnel, how will you mitigate these issues?”

Mr Khan said: “Automatic train operation is not being introduced on the Piccadilly line at this stage. The new trains being introduced will work initially with London Underground’s existing signalling.

“Re-signalling the Piccadilly line to enable automatic train control is part of Transport for London’s discussions with the Government on longer-term funding and priorities, including other rolling stock replacement projects like the Bakerloo line fleet.

“More broadly, automatic train operation is only one of a number of factors which can influence noise levels. Other factors include the condition of the rail, design of the trains and track curvature.

“TfL undertakes regular engineering works and grinding in order to reduce noise as far as possible across its network. TfL also carries out other works to address noise and vibration issues, including removing insulated rail joints and improving the condition of the rail.”

He confirmed that the plan is for automatic operation to be rolled out during a second stage of the upgrade,k but that this is dependent on upgrading the line-wide signalling and funding.