Mary Macleod MP urges Boris and TfL in wake of Turnham Green victory
Local MP Mary Macleod has written to the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson and Transport for London (TfL) asking them to confirm the date that the Piccadilly line upgrade will take place and push for more Piccadilly line trains to stop at Turnham Green station during off-peak hours between now and the upgrade’s completion.
This comes just two days after achieving remarkable success in her long-running campaign to get Piccadilly line trains to stop at Turnham Green station throughout the day. Mary was instrumental in persuading the Mayor of London to agree to the first ever public consultation on the matter when she invited him to Turnham Green and he verbally accepted Mary’s request for a consultation (outside Macken Brothers Butchers on Turnham Green Terrace in Chiswick). Mary then urged the Mayor to listen to the huge numbers of residents who signed her petition to stop the Piccadilly line at Turnham Green, as well as the 14,000 people who responded to TfL’s consultation; the largest number in its history.
Mary was delighted when the Mayor decided to listen to Chiswick residents by announcing on Wednesday morning that the Piccadilly line will stop at Turnham Green station throughout the day after the Piccadilly line upgrades take place.
The Mayor’s announcement came during Wednesday morning’s Question Time at City Hall. Key announcements were:
- A 24-hour tube service, including Turnham Green, at weekends from 2015
- A new fleet of District Line trains in 2016
- Faster and more frequent services due to signalling upgrades from 2018
- Stopping throughout the day at Turnham Green as soon as the Piccadilly line has been upgraded
During his announcement, Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said:
“I am delighted to announce that we are going to meet my manifesto commitment with a guarantee that trains will stop at Turnham Green when that line is modernised as part of the Piccadilly line upgrade. It is a victory for Turnham Green campaigners...personally, I’d like to thank very much Mary Macleod who has done so much.”
Mary said:
“Stopping the Piccadilly line at Turnham Green station throughout the day will make a huge difference to the lives of local people and businesses. On behalf of Chiswick residents, I am absolutely thrilled that the Mayor and TfL have finally granted our wishes. I want to thank local residents and my Turnham Green Action Team for all the work they have done on this campaign.”
Mary was also quick to stress the importance of continuing to press the Mayor of London and TfL to stop Piccadilly line trains at Turnham Green Station during off-peak times between now and the completion of the Piccadilly line upgrade.
She added:
“Very few Piccadilly line trains stop at Turnham Green under the current arrangements. I would like TfL to start stopping Piccadilly line trains at the station at non-peak times in the short-term until the Piccadilly line upgrade is complete. I have written to the Mayor and TfL on this issue and I look forward to hearing from them in the New Year on how they can improve the Piccadilly line’s service to Turnham Green before the upgrade is complete as well as the timetable for the upgrade.”