Commuter chaos amid tube strike in London
Print Edition
MILLIONS of Londoners were forced to walk, cycle or take packed buses to work yesterday as Underground staff staged their second strike in a month over plans to run trains all night at weekends.
London Underground staff walked out on Wednesday evening and will not return until today morning, causing a shutdown of the subway network that has severely disrupted transport in the British capital.
Four trade unions are locked in a months-long dispute with management over London Mayor Boris Johnson’s plans to run a 24-hour Tube service on Fridays and Saturdays from September 12.
An extra 250 buses, additional rental bikes and increased river boat services were laid on to help ease the disruption, while overground trains were operating as normal.
But the Tube handles four million journeys every day, meaning many trains and buses were overcrowded yesterday, while roads were clogged with cyclists and pavements filled with pedestrians who decided it was quickest to walk.
It is the second time the Tube has shut down in a month, after a similar strike on July 8 and 9 caused the first network-wide closure for 13 years.
While some commuters railed against the unions and their members, many of whom are paid well above the average wage, most were resigned.
“I took the bus, it was really crowded and took 45 minutes instead of 20 minutes,” Amal, a 21-year-old accountant, said in the financial district.
The latest round of negotiations broke down on Monday, when union leaders rejected an offer of a two percent salary increase and bonus payments for night shift workers.
London Underground says it is hiring 137 more train drivers and 245 new station staff to work on the Night Tube, and says that no existing employees will be working more hours than they do at the moment.
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