29.11.16
Severe delays on Piccadilly Line as union urges total closure until fleet is fixed
Passengers on the Piccadilly Line are suffering from severe delays as Transport for London (TfL) carries out urgent repairs on rolling stock – but RMT has called for the line to be closed altogether.
TfL said it has to take the trains out of service because the wheels are locking on tracks that have been made slippery by wet autumn leaves, leading to excessive wear and rendering them unsafe.
Around half the trains were taken out of service on Friday, and the TfL website is currently warning passengers to expect severe delays while it carries out repairs.
Tony Matthews, general manager for the line, said: “I sincerely apologise to Piccadilly line customers for the ongoing disruption to their journeys.
“We will continue working around the clock to repair the wheels so that we can return to giving our customers the high level of service that they deserve as quickly as possible.”
TfL is advising passengers that their tickets will be accepted on local buses, Chiltern Railways, Great Western Railway, London Midland, Great Northern and London Overground, although the Overground is also currently reporting severe delays because of a signal failure at London Liverpool Street.
Meanwhile, Mick Cash, general secretary of RMT, argued that the delays were due to “a major engineering problem” with flatted wheels on the entire Piccadilly Line fleet, which meant the trains would have to be taken off the line altogether to have their wheels checked and lathed back to safe tolerance.
“RMT has been told the problem could take weeks to fix properly,” he added. “Trying to do it on the hoof with our members taking the rap is no way to proceed. That's why consideration has to be given to the service being suspended until the trains are repaired and signed off as safe.”
The union called for TfL to discuss closing the Piccadilly Line, arrange a summit meeting led by London mayor Sadiq Khan and transport commissioner Mike Brown, and for the upcoming launch of Night Tube services on Piccadilly to be postponed.
RMT has also announced 24-hour strikes of its Piccadilly and Hammersmith & City drivers on 6 December, alleging a “wholesale breakdown of industrial relations” on Piccadilly Line.
TfL is due to move its maintenance contract on the Piccadilly Line in-house from next year because of concerns about costs, and is also seeking a contractor to carry out £3.6m of repairs on the trains.
A TfL spokesperson insisted the Night Tube launch would go ahead on 16 December as planned.
(Image c. Yui Mok from PA Wire)
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