Chaos, anger and dismay greets London RMT tube strike (From Ealing Times)

Chaos, anger and dismay greets London RMT tube strike

1:02pm Wednesday 10th June 2009

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COMMUTERS are experiencing continued disruption as Tube workers strike over jobs, pay and two disciplinary cases.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union walked out last night in a dispute, leaving the Tube network crippled and passengers seeking alternative forms of transport.

The Jubilee Line is one of the few lines operating this morning, but there are minor delays on all routes.

The Metropolitan, Central, District, Hammersmith and City, Piccadilly, Victoria and Bakerloo lines are all partly suspended, and problems were exacerbated by a signal failure at Carpenders Park, which is causing severe delays on mainline trains between Watford and Euston.

Central London Tube lines have been shut, and an extra 100 buses are being put on major routes to try to cope with excess demand.

Some overland stations have been inundated with passengers forced to find alternative routes - at Clapham Junction queues of commuters spilled out on to surrounding streets.

RMT pickets have come in for some harsh criticism from passers-by, with several angry exchanges being reported.

News of the impending strike prompted a withering response from business lobby group, London First.

In a press statement, it said: “The RMT are flushing Londoners’ efforts to cope with the recession down the Tube.

"Most of the 3 million daily Tube users are working hard to survive the downturn. Many have tolerated pay freezes or cuts; some have even lost their jobs. But the RMT is ready to jeopardise their efforts, in a vain attempt to preserve unnecessary and duplicated jobs and an inflated pay claim.

“These strikes will cost London’s economy around £50million per day and risk sending an unfortunate message to visitors and investors: that London’s transport systems are unreliable.”

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