Turnham Green Tube Station (Hansard, 26 February 2001)

§ Mr. Hill

This is an operational matter for London Underground (LUL), but Derek Smith, Managing Director of LUL, has kept in close touch with me about LUL's plans for the handling of the District Line closure between Earl's Court and High Street Kensington—i.e. the closure which will affect services to Turnham Green station. The Government recognise the pressing need to carry out vital safety works on the District Line, which must inevitably cause disruption to the system, but believe it is important that LUL continue to deliver the best service that can be provided to their customers in the circumstances.

LUL's forward planning for the closure involved a wide ranging examination of options. The work aimed in particular to take account of the impact on all the customers who would be affected, and the options considered included the scope for stopping Piccadilly Line trains at Turnham Green station. In other related work, LUL have also been working with Transport for London and London Buses to prepare detailed plans for alternative transport; and they have put in place a wide range of publicity measures to ensure that customers are fully informed about the implications of the closure and how to avoid its effects.

LUL have explained that in reaching conclusions about the best way to handle the closure they have sought to draw on the lessons of past closures, including the closure for similar work in 1999 of the adjacent Circle Line between Gloucester Road and High Street Kensington. I understand that one of the key lessons from that closure was that changes to timetables should be as simple as possible and as near to existing services as possible. Otherwise, attempts to amend a series of interlocking timetables can have the effect of magnifying the effect of the disruption, thereby inconveniencing a much greater proportion of customers overall.

LUL concluded that stopping Piccadilly Line services at Turnham Green station throughout the period of the District Line closure would cause unacceptably high levels of disruption to the Piccadilly Line, ultimately spreading the delay and inconvenience to an even greater number of customers across not one but two of the busiest lines. Instead, LUL believe that running the Piccadilly line reliably according to its existing timetable will make the most effective contribution to addressing the problem.

However, LUL have confirmed that they have set up a number of new arrangements. For the District Line as a whole they have set up a team to monitor closely the effects of the closure throughout the period. To date, robust operational planning has meant that service levels have been maintained in accordance with LUL's plans. Within that wider framework, special operational arrangements apply at Turnham Green. Extra staff will be in place on platforms to monitor the pressures on the station including any overcrowding. In the case of serious service problems on the District Line, local managers and 318W operational staff will have discretion to instruct Piccadilly Line trains to stop temporarily at the station to relieve congestion; indeed, these plans have been operating for some days now and LUL tell me that they have already made use a number of times of the facility to stop Piccadilly Line trains on this basis. I understand from LUL that they are offering the best service they can realistically and safely provide throughout the period of this essential closure.