Tube Strike Leads To Long Queues Across London

Commuters have faced long delays after a Tube strike over ticket office closures took effect in London.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union mounted picket lines outside stations after walking out at 9pm on Monday.

The action is planned to last for 48 hours and will be followed by a three-day stoppage next week.

Large queues built up as early rush-hour passengers waited until 7am for the first Tube trains to run.

Passengers outside Stratford Underground, DLR and Overground station

London Underground (LU) said it was running services on nine lines despite the "pointless" strike, although there were no trains on the Waterloo and City or Circle lines.

There were almost 8,000 buses on the roads - the most ever operated in London - after an extra 266 were put into service.

LU managing director Mike Brown said: "Thousands of staff and volunteers are working hard this morning to keep London working and our customers informed in the face of this pointless strike.

"More London Underground staff have come to work this morning than during the strike back in February and a record number of London buses are operating."

At Euston station in north London, customers crowded around the entrance to the Underground, waiting for the clock to tick round to 7am.

On the busy Victoria line, where trains normally run approximately every two minutes, there was just one service every 10 minutes.

At Victoria station in central London, passengers pouring off mainline trains were confronted with a wall of people waiting for Tube services.

There were large crowds at Clapham Junction in the southwest of the capital, with many passengers choosing to take Overground services and some platforms restricted.

Commuters wait to board a busy Underground train on the Northern Line

Heathrow Express trains between Paddington and Heathrow were running as scheduled due to staff reserves.

The RMT union is embroiled in a fresh row over the ticket office closure plans, which officials warn threaten safety as well as almost 1,000 jobs.

LU denied there would be any impact on safety and said ticket office staff would provide a better service if they were moved to other parts of stations.

The RMT said its members were solidly supporting the industrial action, as the union again attacked the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, over the future of ticket offices.

Bus and train services were also much busier than normal

Mick Cash, the union's acting general secretary, said: "London Underground have dug themselves into an entrenched position and have refused to move one inch from their stance of closing every ticket office.

"It is scandalous that Transport for London are blowing what we estimate to be hundreds of thousands of pounds on politically-motivated adverts and propaganda designed to deflect attention from Mr Johnson's broken promises."

However, Mr Brown said: "The RMT leadership appears to remain implacably opposed to the modernisation of the Tube that will radically improve customer service and help us keep fares down."

Business groups warned the strikes will cost the capital's economy millions of pounds.

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