Ealing Broadway to lose District Line?

The latest newsletter of the Ealing Passenger Transport Users' Group (EPTUG) reports on London Underground's problem with the Piccadilly Line to Heathrow. Demand is growing rapidly and the line is already at capacity. With Terminal 5 set to double the airport's capacity, something needs to be done.

 One solution would be to close the Rayners Lane branch of the Piccadilly Line and transfer the freed timetable slots to the Heathrow branch, Rayners Lane being served by the District Line instead. However this gives rise to another problem: the District Line through central London can't take any more trains. So maybe the answer lies in re-routing the Ealing trains to Rayners Lane? 

EPTUG welcomes views on this. Email info@eptug.org.uk or write to 3 Gordon Road, Ealing W5 2AD

On a similar subject, the number of passengers using the Heathrow Connect service to the airport has been disappointing, and BAA have been trying various measures to promote its use. EPTUG has proposed adding the line to the standard Underground map so that passengers will see it as an alternative to the Piccadilly Line instead of confusing it with the premium-fare Heathrow Express. It would have to be made clear that the section from Hayes & Harlington to Heathrow  is outside Travelcard Zone 6. [Maybe that is the problem - Ed]