Large number of delays on Piccadilly line in the last 10 months – even with just a 2 runway Heathrow
Passengers on the Piccadilly line suffered 47,800 hours of delays during the last 10 months, official statistics reveal. Problems with the 40 year old trains accounted for a third of all rush hour delays while 7% were because of faulty signals on the ageing line. The line, fourth busiest on the network and used by more than 70,000 passengers a day, has been beset with problems. Lost passenger hours are calculated by measuring the delay caused to each train and then multiplying by the number of people affected. The information was obtained by a FoI request to TfL. The figures highlight the need for urgent upgrade work on the line. The director of the Piccadilly line said this was caused by “a large number of damaged train wheels during November and December last year” (due to rain, apparently – rain happens every year?). In autumn 2016 leaves-on-the line resulted in half the Piccadilly line fleet being taken out of service for repairs. This is the main tube line to Heathrow, and Heathrow pledges (if anyone could believe them …) that 55% of its passengers will use public transport by 2031 – up from about 42% now. That is a massively higher number of people, expected to use a line that already struggles. The 3rd runway can only make this worse, and Heathrow refuses to pay for transport infrastructure improvement.
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Staggering 47,000 hours of delays on Piccadilly line in the last 10 months
By DICK MURRAY
3.5.2017
Passengers on the Piccadilly line suffered a staggering 47,800 hours of delays during the last 10 months, official statistics reveal today.
Problems with the 40 year old trains accounted for a third of all rush hour delays while seven per cent were because of faulty signals on the ageing line.
The line, fourth busiest on the network and used by more than 70,000 passengers a day, has been beset with problems.
Lost passenger hours are calculated by measuring the delay caused to each train and then multiplying by the number of people affected.
London Assembly Tory transport spokesman Keith Prince, who obtained the statistics through a Freedom of Information (FoI) request to Transport for London (TfL,) said the figures highlighted the need for urgent upgrade work on the line.
He blamed the Mayor’s fares freeze which he said is costing TfL more than £640 million “stretching the thin budget and putting important investment under threat.”
Brian Woodhead, operations director for the Piccadilly line, said: “The main reason was a large number of damaged train wheels during November and December last year and we are very sorry for the disruption this caused to our customers.
“We worked around the clock to restore normal service and are conducting a detailed, independent review to prevent this from happening again.
”We have one of the biggest investment programmes in the world to provide more capacity and reliability for a growing city.”
Last Autumn leaves-on-the line resulted in half the Piccadilly line fleet being taken out of service for repairs.
Leaf mulch causes wheels to slide on the track creating a flat spot rendering them unusable.
In November the RMT said the situation was so bad that “serious consideration” should be given to closing the line while problems with flatted wheels and other mechanical issues were sorted out. TfL robustly rejected the call.
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