Travel Chaos as Commuters Battle on

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Tube strike affects travellers road, bus and rail

Londoners trying to get to work this morning have taken to the social network twitter describing their nightmare journeys.

The RMT and TSSA unions began their 48-hour walkout at 9pm last night - unions want Transport for London to suspend plans to close all ticket offices and cut 950 jobs. The authority claims the measures are needed to modernise and save £50m a year.

With limited services on the tube, overground trains from Ealing have been experiencing their own issues.

This packed platform was at Ealing Broadway - where trains were delayed due to signalling problems.

image via twitter from @laura_scfc

@kirstyla reports she has 'been stood at EB for 45 minutes. Cancellations, full trains, sending trains with 2 carriages notimpressed.'

Others have reported problems on the roads and buses..

A busier than usual Windmill Road

@kavitadass was 'stuck in traffic on 207 for last half hour between Hanwell and EB'

@pmodley 'And so the crush begins, jammed into the #65 bus enroute to Kew Bridge to grab a train to Waterloo'

It's not all been gloom though...

‏@MMP_Photography offered early some praise '@FGW although I have to say that your staff at Ealing Broadway have been amazing despite the difficult day. They should be congratulated.'

And ‏@Miss_Stoel says ''I had a very efficient journey. Train to Paddington then walk to Oxford Circus. Took less than an hour!''

‏@tkell97 'I took the district line, checked that a train was in the platform before and didn’t take too long. Got busy though.'

And @JamesLDouglass provided a laugh 'That's what I love about a tube strike: real blitz spirit. Only without the blitz. Or the spirit.'

On the District Line, TfL said services were operating between Wimbledon and Upminster approximately every six minutes and between High Street Kensington and Ealing Broadway every fifteen minutes. There was no service on the rest of the line. A number of stations were closed including Embankment, Aldgate East and South Kensington- the latter reopened in the afteroon. Tfl warned that they might have to close stations if there was overcrowding.

The Piccadilly Line was badly affected with no service operating through the central area. TfL planned to operate trains between Acton Town and Heathrow Terminals 1,2 and 3 but not Four.

The transport company said it had laid on extra buses and river services and staff kept a constant update for commuters on its Twitter sites. However many commmuters complained that they could not get seats on crowded buses.

Passengers were warned to check for updates at tfl.gov.uk and by following @TfLTravelAlerts, @TfLTrafficNews and @TfLBusAlerts

Transport for London (TfL) said that a third of services were operating with 70 per cent of stations open as London Underground drafted in hundreds of back office staff and managers to support non-striking drivers.

LU Managing Director, Mike Brown said: “All Tube stations will remain staffed and controlled at all times when services are operating, and we’ll be introducing a 24-hour service at weekends during 2015. In future, there will be more staff in ticket halls and on platforms to help customers buy the right ticket, plan their journeys and to keep them safe and secure.

“We’re committed to implement these changes without compulsory redundancies and there’ll be a job for everyone at LU who wants to work for us and be flexible.”

 

What sort of journey have you had today?

Send us your pictures.

 

5th February 2014