Tube strike misery for travellers
Millions of commuters and other passengers face travel misery as a strike by rail workers causes major disruption to London Underground services.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport union said every Tube line is suspended or running only a skeleton service after "rock solid" support for a series of walkouts.
Thousands of members of the RMT and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association walked out on Monday night for 24 hours in protest against plans to axe 800 jobs.
Transport for London maintained that services are running on a number of lines and said people are able to travel around the capital because of its contingency plans for dealing with the industrial action.
London Mayor Boris Johnson cycled to the Stock Exchange in the City to speak at the opening session of the Capital Markets Climate Initiative, and said new staffing proposals were "moderate and sensible" and accused the unions of "cynically deciding to try the patience" of commuters.
Mike Brown, London Underground's managing director, said: "We are doing everything possible to keep as many Tube services operating, and to keep Londoners moving by providing extra buses, river services and other alternatives.
"The RMT and TSSA leaderships have chosen to disrupt Londoners for no good reason. The safety argument they now deploy - which has never been raised in any formal forum - is completely without foundation. It is simple scaremongering designed to mask their wish to strike."
LU said a good service is operating on the Northern Line, although some stations are closed, a service is running on the Central Line to all destinations, the Bakerloo Line is operating between Queen's Park and Elephant & Castle, the District Line is running between Barking and Wimbledon, the Jubilee Line is operating a special service between Finchley Road and Stanmore and the Metropolitan Line is running between Baker Street and Moor Park/Uxbridge & Amersham.
The RMT disputed LU's statement and said there is major disruption across the network, claiming that one Central Line train had to be suspended mid-journey and passengers told to leave via a station which is closed.
RMT general secretary Bob Crow, who joined a picket line at Euston station, said: "Our members have shown in their rock-solid support for this action that they will not sit idly by while staffing levels are hacked to the bone and the management open the door to a major disaster."
