Does the Piccadilly Line really need to stop at Barons Court?

[Sad Sprinter]

I mean, District Line passengers can just change at Hammersmith going east/west or at South Ken or Gloucester Road. I just think omitting it would not be a huge loss and would speed up Heathrow journey times a bit. It’s not like passing Piccadilly Line trains will cause a safety issue either on the island platforms, as that’s already the arrangement at Turnham Green.

Would be good to have a select few trains, perhaps Terminal 5 services, use the “fast” lines through South Ealing and Northfields too.

 

[Mike99]

I would think that passengers that live in the many streets around Barons Court Station would be a bit miffed at losing the direct link to Heathrow

 

[Peregrine 4903]

Barons Court was always a very busy station for Piccadilly Line services when I went through there practically every day pre covid. Taking out a Piccadilly Line stop would anger a lot of passengers, make Hammersmith station even more busy than it currently is and I doubt its going to improve journey times much.

 

[madjack]

Lots of other traffic using Barons Court, students at the local college etc.

South Ken is packed in normal times, and Gloucester Road doesn't have an easy interchange.

If people want to travel between Central London and the airport quickly, the Picc Line isn't the best choice now and certainly won't be when Crossrail opens.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

And don't forget, lots of staff working at Charing Cross Hospital use Baron's Court.

 

[MatthewRead]

Barons Court has very narrow island platforms and I don't think it would be safe for Piccadilly line trains to be running straight through at speed and as it has already been pointed out in this thread the residents would be miffed considering how poor the District line service is down there.

 

[bluegoblin7]

Would be good to have a select few trains, perhaps Terminal 5 services, use the “fast” lines through South Ealing and Northfields too.

All eastbound and most westbound trains are already booked to run fast between Acton Town and Northfields.

 

[bb21]

I wonder whether given the daytime frequency of the Pic on that stretch, omitting Barons Court on the odd 1-in-x train will cause more headaches for scheduling to avoid non-stop ones catching up with the train in front, so likely to be an "all or nothing" choice, ie. all trains call or all going non-stop.

It is a convenient cross-platform interchange for people wishing to avoid the busy Hammersmith station.

 

[Sad Sprinter]

All eastbound and most westbound trains are already booked to run fast between Acton Town and Northfields.

Really? Since when?

 

[bluegoblin7]

Decades.

 

[madjack]

All eastbound and most westbound trains are already booked to run fast between Acton Town and Northfields.

I think the OP was suggesting that they could run through South Ealing and Northfields without stopping.

 

[DanNCL]

Really? Since when?

Decades.

Probably worth clarifying that although the fast lines are used between Acton Town and Northfields, all trains stop at South Ealing, so they're not actually a "fast" service so to speak, even though they run on what is known as the "fast" lines on that section.

Would I be right in thinking that the only westbound services booked to use the "slow" lines between Acton Town and Northfields are those that terminate at Northfields?

 

[cle]

I think the link to Central London is more critical to Barons Court locals and college students - vs Heathrow access.

The change at Hammersmith is identical. A little darker but just as easy, cross-platform.

Barons Court is not that important a station. I think today if built it could probably skip it, but it's very established. District Line services are due to go up in frequency so maybe one day.

On the other hand, Crossrail will take up a lot of the slower and Central London passengers, especially if fares are TfL / same as the tube. So maybe the call here, and Turnham Green chats are more possible.

 

[py_megapixel]

I'm not sure speeding up the Heathrow service on the Piccadilly line is actually that important, considering Crossrail will make it fairly redundant if you're travelling from the city centre.

 

[madjack]

On this map you see the top destinations for travellers from Barons Court (sorry, not sure what year it refers to).

Piccadilly Circus, Kings Cross, Leicester Square and Green Park (all Piccadilly Line) are all in the top 10.

 

[cav1975]

I find Barons Court a more relaxed place to change between District & Piccadilly than Hammersmith.

 

[bluegoblin7]

Would I be right in thinking that the only westbound services booked to use the "slow" lines between Acton Town and Northfields are those that terminate at Northfields?

Yes; westbound only.

The question asked was the question answered. The fasts are not unused and there is no additional capacity to operate express services even if it was a good idea (it isn’t).

 

[AlbertBeale]

I wonder whether given the daytime frequency of the Pic on that stretch, omitting Barons Court on the odd 1-in-x train will cause more headaches for scheduling to avoid non-stop ones catching up with the train in front, so likely to be an "all or nothing" choice, ie. all trains call or all going non-stop.

It is a convenient cross-platform interchange for people wishing to avoid the busy Hammersmith station.

Yes - I always advise Heathrow-bound people heading west on the District to do the cross-platform at Barons Court rather than Hammersmith, since the latter can be seriously congested at times.

 

[BayPaul]

All eastbound and most westbound trains are already booked to run fast between Acton Town and Northfields.

From experience, South Ealing always feels like one of the busiest stations on the line, (pre-covid) the train always goes from rammed to comfortable there - even though it is only a few yards from Northfields.

I wonder whether Gloucester Road should be dropped from the Piccadilly. It seems lightly used - the elevators are slow and a pain (and must be also frustrating for TfL to maintain), so the change at South Ken or Earl's Court wouldn't be too bad.

On the original topic - I think that it wouldn't be a massive problem to remove Barons Court from the Pic - though it is a much nicer station to change at, especially as it actually has a toilet!

Also - Why no apostrophe in Barons Court, but Earl's Court does? (Answered my own question thanks to Londist https://londonist.com/2015/07/itsnotpossibletogetanapostropheinaurl - It's a made up name, there was never a Baron to own said Court!)