THE CAMPAIGN for more Piccadilly line trains to stop at Turnham Green tube station appears to have stalled, despite a meeting between local MPs and London transport supremo Kulveer Ranger.

Brentford & Isleworth MP Mary Macleod and Angie Bray, MP for Ealing Central and Acton, met the London Mayor's transport advisor last week to discuss how to improve the service at the station.

Piccadilly line trains only stop at Turnham Green until 6.50am Monday to Saturday, until 7.45am on Sundays and from 10.30pm until the last train throughout the week.

Local residents have spent years campaigning without success for more Piccadilly line trains to stop there, thus avoiding the need for passengers to change further up the line. However, Transport for London (TfL), which runs the service, has always maintained this would cause delays for other Piccadilly line passengers. Bosses also say there are too few trains available to operate such a service.

A new report by TfL also suggests having Piccadilly line trains stop at Turnham Green rather than Barons Court would inconvenience more passengers than it benefits.

Following last week's meeting, Ms Macleod said: "I am disappointed that there seems to be no way to stop the Piccadilly Line more often at Turnham Green without impacting significantly on the whole line.

"However, I will continue to raise this issue and work with TfL to ensure that as improvements to tube stations, trains and signalling are made, this matter is given top priority."

However, she added that Mr Ranger had promised to review the possibility of inreasing the Piccadilly line service at Turnham during weekends.

As well as addressing a number of concerns raised by Turnham Green campaigners, on issues ranging from safety and overcrowding to fares, TfL's latest report claims stopping Piccadilly line trains at the station would lead to unacceptable delays.

Although it would save the 10,800 daily passengers using Turnham Green an average of just under five minutes, the report suggests it would add more than a minute to the journeys of the 120,000 through passengers on the Piccadilly line.

A copy of this report can be obtained by calling Ms Macleod's Westminster office on 020 7219 7023.

Richard Jennings, who has spent the last four years campaigning for a better service at Turnham Green, said he understood signalling work was necessary before any major changes could be introduced.

However, he disputed TfL's statistics about longer journey times, pointing out that existing services between Hammersmith and Hounslow West take the same amount of time regardless of whether they stop at Turnham Green or not.

He believes Piccadilly line services could stop at the station from 8.30pm onwards, two hours earlier than at present.