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Piccadilly
Line service during District Line cutbacks
at Turnham Green is subject of Parliamentary
Question.
STOP
campaign keeps up the pressure on London
Underground.
Following
his visit to Turnham Green station earlier
this month for the petition and protest
for an all day Piccadilly Line service
their, Shadow Transport Minister and Minister
for London Bernard Jenkin MP tabled
a Parliamentary question to John Prescott,
Secretary of State for the Environment,
Transport and the Regions.
He
asked him to take steps to ensure that
Piccadilly Line trains stop regularly
at Turnham Green during the work that
will disrupt services to that station
and if he will make a statement.
The
lengthy written reply from Keith Hill
MP from Prescott's team confirms that,
"In the
case of serious service problems on the
District Line, local managers and operational
staff will have discretion to instruct
Piccadilly Line trains to stop temporarily
at the station to relieve congestion"
Bernard
Jenkin describes the reply as "a
victory for common sense " and his
parliamentary intervention has been welcomed
as putting further pressure on LU to alleviate
the worse than usual service to Turnham
Green during the current cutbacks.
To
see full details of the exchange from
Hansard - Click
here
Local Conservative Prospective Parliamentary
candidate Tim Mack has enthusiastically
welcomed Bernard Jenkin's support in raising
Turnham Green in Parliament as putting
on more pressure for an improved service.
"I
am delighted that Bernard Jenkin has taken
a lead in raising the "Piccadilly
Line question" in Parliament. In
addition to the District line misery,
residents and commuters are now very frustrated
that Bob Kiley is having problems and
delays in taking control of the tube and
being allowed to get on with the job".
Other
STOP campaign representatives, including
Peter Eversden, representing local amenity
societies, joined Tim in meetings at LU
headquarters. They explained why over
7,000 people have now signed the STOP
petition, largely outside the station.
Further meetings are now planned.
LUL
admitted that the District Line service
had not been operating to the required
schedules since 1998. Defective track
and signal problems had reduced the service
considerably and affected the flow of
trains in other sections. There are not
even adequate information systems to tell
LUL staff where all the trains are located.
London
Underground management were requested
to propose what alternative plans and
funds would be required to speed up the
completion of these repair and improvement
projects.
According
to LUL, there are operational problems
that prevent them
operating District Line shuttle train
services between Richmond and
Hammersmith or Earls Court during the
current period of cutbacks. They have
been asked what it would cost to make
that possible.
It was explained that Turnham Green should
be a prime interchange station
for transfers between four District Line
routes, three Piccadilly
Line destinations and the E3 bus with
its large catchment area, without making
additional changes at other stations.
Commuters from all over West London are
supporting the campaign that acknowledges
Turnham Green's status as a key interchange.
London Underground has also been requested
to investigate right now if the Piccadilly
Line service at Turnham Green could be
extended at the beginning and end of each
day.
They
have agreed also to define the improvements,
costs and dependencies
involved in amending the services and
infrastructure to stop the Piccadilly
Line all day at Turnham Green.
The
London Transport Users Committee is investigating
the appeal made by amenity societies about
these service problems. Transport for
London
management have also been updated and
petitioned to put the all day Piccadilly
Line service at the top of their list
of priorities when they take over the
Underground and start to raise funds for
improvements.
For more information
contact: STOP (Stop at Turnham Green On
the Piccadilly line) campaigners Tim Mack
(8 994 5997) or Peter Eversden (8 747
3281)
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