Thank you for highlighting the problems of overcrowding on the Piccadilly line to and from Heathrow, both with your Readers’ poll and your online article.
Ealing Fields Residents Association (Efra) is working with Ealing Passenger Transport Users’ Group (Eptug) to urge Boris Johnson to tackle the problem.
Our main beef is that the Heathrow Connect service from Paddington is operating massively below capacity.
A lot of their trains are virtually empty from Hayes and Harlington into the airport.
We accept that the Heathrow Express is a premium service but Heathrow Connect is more like any other commuter line running to and from a London rail terminus.
But its fares are uncompetitive and Oyster cards are not accepted on the line either.
Boris needs to use his power, money and influence to persuade the Connect operator to change its practices and encourage more passengers to transfer from the Tube. This would make for more comfortable journeys on the Heathrow branch of the Piccadilly line for local residents. For those that have not already done so, Eptug’s petition can be signed at www.eptug.org.uk.
Roger Jarman
Vice-chair, Ealing Fields Residents Association
Dorset Road, Ealing
