Snow chaos: Disruption across London continues with severe delays on tube lines

Disruption across London’s transport network continued throughout the day following last night’s heavy snow.

Services across the wider tube network were affected by severe delays, especially on the Central, Jubilee and Piccadilly lines.

Minor delays were reported on the District, Hammersmith & City, Victoria and Northern lines as well as on the Overground between Euston and Willesden Junction.

Airports

Despite being forced to halt 119 and 91 flights respectively due to the sub-zero temperatures, London’s biggest airports Heathrow and Gatwick reported a normal flow of operations later in the day.

Gatwick – which was still recovering from last night’s knock-on effect – nevertheless advised customers to check before they travelled.

The same advice was given by London City and Stansted airports, which called on travellers to stay in touch with airlines for the latest updates.

Rail

Commuters were urged to check before they travelled as last night’s heavy snow caused severe delays and disruption all across the railway network.

Network Rail warned of significant disruption to services at key London stations such as London Bridge and King’s Cross, while a spokesperson for Govia Thameslink told passengers to only travel if essential.

“Unfortunately the snowy and icy weather has meant a number of incidents across the whole rail network, including on Thameslink,” they said.

“Whilst there is a service running, passengers are likely to expect delays and cancellations, so we are asking people to only travel if essential and to check their train is running before travelling.”

On the other hand, Eurostar services were running with minimal delays of up to 15-20 minutes.

This comes as Londoners prepare for continued strikes on the rail and train network in the run-up to Christmas.

Road

The heavy snow has also impacted the road network with thousands of drivers reporting breakdowns.

According to RAC’s Rod Dennis, around 9,000 drivers reported significant issues – 50 per cent more than a typical Monday in December.

“We’re expecting hazardous road conditions to continue into Tuesday following a major refreeze overnight,” Dennis added.

“We urge drivers making essential journeys to leave extra space behind the vehicle in front, reduce their speeds to give plenty of time to stop.”