Tube delays hit four lines in rush hour misery
Severe Tube delays have hit four lines to leave commuters facing a morning of rush hour chaos today.
Passengers on the Circle Line, District Line, Hammersmith & City Line and Metropolitan Line all face a disrupted journey to work due to the delays.
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Faulty trains were behind all four lines’ problems, with Transport for London (TfL) urging commuters to use buses instead to get to work.
The District Line’s severe delays were only affecting the line between High Street Kensington and Edgware Road, however. Minor delays have hit the rest of the line.
One frustrated passenger tweeted the Circle Line to say: “Seriously you are getting worse and worse every single day!”
Jamie Foster added: “This is a joke. Like sardines at 7.15 in the morning. What’s your excuse now? You are a shambles, since September all we have faced is delays. Give us some money back. Over priced and a shambles. #embarrassing”
Another commuter, Anna, found an alert about Tube delays on the Circle Line to be more revealing than intended.
“Member of staff at the station wrote “circle line is severe delays” on the board,” she said.
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“Circle line doesn’t have delays, it’s become the delay.”
Commuter Lauren was stuck waiting for a Hammersmith & City Line, saying: “How about getting new trains on your Christmas list along with the @jubileeline?”
It follows rail passengers suffering a miserable December due to South Western Railway strikes in a long-running dispute over the role of guards.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has organised 27 days of strikes throughout the month as Christmas approaches.
That follows the collapse of negotiations with the rail operator last month.
The RMT has now written to the union to restart talks. “Obviously, it would be in the interest of all concerned to try and reach a negotiated agreement,” RMT general secretary Mick Cash said.
Read more: South Western commuters complain of train ‘hell’ amid strikes
South Western said it was “pleased” at the prospect but added: “We need guarantees that you are serious about ending the strikes in a way that works for the passengers.”
So far South Western commuters have complained of being trapped in trains like sardines in cans and that there was little support for disabled people.
The two sides are yet to agree on the scope of talks aimed at ending the strike.