Piccadilly line delays: London Underground slammed following days of disruption

Furious commuters have slammed the London Underground for failing to “come clean” about days of disruption on the Piccadilly line.

Commuters say that despite frequent problems over the last two weeks, in particular suspensions between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge, the Transport for London (TfL) website has continued to claim there is a “good service”.

Issues with trains have resulted from leaves on the line causing rolling stock wheels to slip, the RMT union said.

The union has called on London Underground to “come clean to both staff and public” about the ongoing problems.

Katie Young, who travels from Uxbridge, said there has been hardly any service on the line between Uxbridge and Rayners Lane for the last two weeks.

She told the Standard: “The main issue I have is that the updates supplied by the official channels are always incorrect, tfl.gov.uk reports good service and train times for services which simply aren't running.

“I always check train times ahead of leaving home, but the amount of misinformation from what should be a reliable and 'live' service means I've almost missed several important appointments in the last week, been late for work, and had to spend around £60 on cabs.

“When I've flagged these problems on Twitter or at stations, I've been met with a range of excuses and apologies but nothing has changed.

“Often the driver will give one excuse, the station staff if there are any another and the website another.”

Dominic Rogan, who commutes from Uxbridge to Hammersmith, said: “It seems as though they have decided the Uxbridge branch is of no importance and trains do not need to run from that station and they don’t feel they have to forewarn customers.

“We were told two weeks ago via a paper sign at Uxbridge station that due to adverse weather conditions Piccadilly line trains could not run on the tracks for the foreseeable between Uxbridge and Rayners Lane.

“And now it seems any form of scheduling for the line has gone completely out of the window.”

The RMT added in a statement: “London Underground Limited has refused to put honest and accurate information out to members of the public, leading to front line staff being confronted by angry passengers and total ridicule on social media from hundreds of members of the public who are sick and tired of being misled.

“RMT representatives, along with some line managers, have brought these concerns to senior management but they still refuse to put out honest information and insist on showing the Piccadilly line running a good service when it isn’t.”

London Underground Limited is a subsidiary company of TfL.

RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said: “It’s bad enough that yet again London Underground are sending out sub-standard trains, but to actively mislead the public and staff with an impression that all is well is a dangerous farce and must be called to a halt."

It comes as TfL confirmed it has got the green light to sign £1.5bn contract with Siemens to design and build a new fleet of Piccadilly line trains.

Brian Woodhead, Director of Customer Service for London Underground, said: “I apologise to customers for the disruption on the Uxbridge branch of the Piccadilly line.

"As part of our plans to minimise damage to train wheels caused by leaf fall, some services have been terminated at Rayners Lane, where customers can change to the Metropolitan line.

"We have been providing detailed local information to customers who have been affected by this, and have included information on our status boards and in PA announcements.”