A rolling stock crisis on the Piccadilly Line, London Underground’s fourth busiest line transporting an average of 600,000 people a day, has led to yet another morning of delays for passengers today as warnings from tube union RMT about the state of the current fleet have come home to roost with a vengeance.
This is the third rush hour morning in a row where the fleet shortage has hit services hard.

RMT, which is currently in dispute with LU on the Piccadilly Line over a range of issues, says that up to 17 trains are out of action due to wheel flats alone – worn running gear that poses a danger for passengers and staff alike.

The union has raised the issue of worn brakes and a host of other faults on the clapped-out rolling stock and has made it clear that it won’t accept any situation where staff are left facing disciplinary charges for failures which are clearly not their fault.

Summit talks, involving staff and representatives from across the Piccadilly Line, are taking place as RMT continues to campaign on the issues of safety and reliability and the lingering threat to the train operators.

RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said:

“The chronic shortage of rolling stock on the Piccadilly Line has been severely exposed yet again this morning as RMT’s warnings about the state of the fleet that our members are being asked to take out on the tracks have come home to roost with a vengeance.

“This was a crisis that we said was coming and is wholly down to a lack of investment and corner-cutting to try and cover up the facts.

“RMT will continue to force the pace on this issue which has safety right at its heart. We have also made it clear that any blaming of staff for this rolling stock crisis will be met with the strongest possible response”