THE RMT is calling on London Underground to take urgent action after a door opened on a moving Piccadilly Line train at the weekend.
The fault occurred when a train was approaching the station in tunnel at Heathrow Terminal 4 on Saturday morning, and although no one was injured the event has boosted fears that the 1975 stock on the line is now ageing dangerously. The union claimed it was the fifth such occurrence in recent weeks, although London Underground described it as an 'isolated problem'.
The Piccadilly fleet was originally due to have been replaced by 2014, but the Underground's new train orders programme slipped after the failures of the independent maintenance contractors Metronet and Tube Lines. The Piccadilly is at the front of the queue for the next tranche of new trains along with the Bakerloo Line, where the stock is two years older.
Aslef said some of its members were now refusing to operate Piccadilly Line trains, and the RMT also reported some refusals by drivers to work on Sunday following the incident.
There have been discussions over the safety issues between Transport for London and the unions. London Underground operations director Pat Hansberry said: "Following an isolated problem with one train door we carried out a full inspection to confirm there wasn't a wider problem, which resulted in some cancellations."
An RMT spokesman said: "There are serious questions over the safety of the ageing fleet on the Piccadilly Line in terms of braking systems, wheel flats and brake operation that RMT has been raising for well over a year now. There are clearly major safety issues which must not be ignored any longer."