Overview

To keep London moving in the years ahead, TfL must continue to meet the travel demands of the capital.

The Piccadilly line, a key link between central London and Heathrow – and the single greatest carrier of passengers through the busy west end section – relies on trains that are entering their fifth decade and signalling that dates back to the 1960s.

Yet, despite its ageing assets and increasing demand, the Piccadilly line remains one of the most reliable services on the network. Earlier this year (in the reporting period from 28 April 2013 – 25 May 2013), the Piccadilly line achieved 99.1 per cent of scheduled kilometres, the highest since 1995. Excess journey time on the line (of 3.18 minutes) was at its lowest level since this measure was introduced over 15 years ago.

However, with such old assets the line will need to be modernised in due course and TfL plans to upgrade the Piccadilly line with new trains and signalling so we can run more trains with quicker journeys. This upgrade is in the planning stages and the exact dates for when it will take place have not been decided but it is likely to be complete in the early 2020s. As we develop the signalling and the design of the new trains, we sought your views on the Piccadilly line service.

TfL are aware that some customers would like the Piccadilly line to stop for more of the day at Turnham Green station. Piccadilly line trains currently stop at Turnham Green in the morning from the first train until 06:50 Monday to Saturday / 07:45 on Sunday, and every evening from 22:30 until the last train. At all times the station is served by the District line and customers travelling to/from Turnham Green station at other times who wish to use the Piccadilly line need to change at stations such as South Kensington, Barons Court, Earl’s Court, Hammersmith and Acton Town.

TfL continually reviews Tube timetables to ensure we are running the most efficient service. Although we recognise that stopping more Piccadilly line trains at Turnham Green would benefit customers using that station, we do not currently do so because it would mean decreasing the service to other parts of the Piccadilly line, longer journey times for customers passing through Turnham Green station and a potentially less reliable service for all passengers on the line (as trains would have less time at the end of their journey to recover from delays, reducing the chance of starting their next journey on time).

Further information