Council wants permanent Piccadilly Line stop to mark its fiftieth
Hounslow Council has asked Transport for London for a special birthday present on the Piccadilly Line. Next year will mark 50 years since the London Borough of Hounslow came into existence.
And in it’s submission to TfL, as part of its consultation on improvements to the Piccadilly Line, the council has stated for most of that time it has been lobbying for a permanent stop at Turnham Green.
The council’s response also points out service frequency on the line has actually decreased, from 27 trains per hour in 2001, to 24 in 2013, therefore potentially leaving space in the current service timetable to accommodate trains stopping at Turnham Green. There would also be benefits to residents in neighbouring boroughs such as Ealing and Richmond with Turnham Green becoming a local interchange.
The council also points out that other improvements on the Piccadilly Line are urgently needed, such as real time journey information on platforms and the introduction of step free station entrances and exists (particularly at Osterley, where a feasibility study was carried out).
Cllr Ed Mayne, cabinet member for community safety and regulatory services, said:
“It’s been 50 years of hurt trying to improve the Piccadilly line and we can only hope TfL are now, at long last, ready to take notice and act. Introducing a permanent stop at Turnham Green would be the centre piece of a raft of urgently needed improvements. We want TfL to agree to at least trial the stop for 24 months and fully commit to a stop as part of the now long delayed proposed renewal of the line, now in planning stages for implementation early 2020s.”
October 17, 2013