A strike by London Underground workers has caused disruption for millions of people in the capital who usually travel by Tube.
Some train stations were inundated with extra passengers, with hundreds of people queuing on to the street at Clapham Junction in south west London.
Increased levels of traffic on London’s roads also led to gridlock in some parts, with buses struggling to stick to normal timetables.
However, Transport for London claimed that Tube services were operating on more than half of lines.
Peter Hendy, Transport Commissioner, described services as “good” on the Northern line and “decent” across the Jubilee line, adding: “Clearly, support for the RMT leadership’s actions is far from the level they were expecting.
LU said reduced shuttle services were running on sections of the District, Jubilee, Victoria, Metropolitan and Piccadilly lines.
The Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union insisted the strike was being solidly supported and clashed with LU over the number of Tube trains running, claiming only a limited number of services were operating.
The union accused London’s Mayor Boris Johnson of “sabotaging” efforts to resolve the dispute.
The 48 hour strike started at 7pm on Tuesday night after last-ditch talks over pay, jobs and disciplinary issues, broke down.
The strike will cause disruption until Friday morning, and will lead to huge problems for fans travelling to Wembley on Wednesday night for England’s World Cup game with Andorra.
Transport for London (TfL) laid on extra buses, taxi-sharing at major rail stations, free river services and guided commuter cycle routes in a bid to help people travel around the capital.
Business groups have estimated that the strike will cost the London economy £50 million every day, with many workers unable to get to their office.
The Mayor said the strike was “unnecessary and misery-making” for travellers and urged the union to return to the negotiations.
(Source: Telegraph, UK)
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Fortunately for all those living in Golders Green and Hendon, the Northern Line subway has been running normally as the drivers belong to a different union. Just to clarify for all those who do not recognise the word “queuing”. This is English for standing in line.