Underground misery strikes commuters as severe delays hit four Tube lines
Severe delays hit four Tube lines this morning as signal failures brought commuters’ journeys into London grinding to a near standstill.
Read more: Multiple Tube lines struck with severe delays
Disruption plagued the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines after a signal failure at Farringdon this morning, with Transport for London (TfL) advising passengers that their tickets would be accepted on local buses.
Meanwhile the District Line suffered the fallout from an earlier signalling failure at Wimbledon, with severe delays between Edgware Road and Wimbledon.
TfL said a good service was running on the rest of the line.
The Farringdon signal failure also hurt commuters using the Metropolitan Line, which was struck with severe delays between Harrow-on-the-Hill and Aldgate after the issue.
Tickets were being accepted on London buses and Chiltern Railways.
The Overground was also suffering minor delays between Euston and Watford Junction due to faulty trains, while a reduced service continues to run between Gospel Oak and Barking.
It comes as commuters prepare themselves for a Tube strike over the bank holiday weekend, when TfL staff have refused to book shifts between Friday and Monday.
The strike will coincide with the FA Cup final this weekend.
The RMT union said members voted nine to one in favour of the strike, which will see 1,200 engineers down tools over concerns around cuts to train safety inspections.
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said workers are “angry and frustrated” over the cuts, which it said are “serious and damaging” to inspection schedules.
“Instead of talking seriously about the train inspection and preparation cuts the company have resorted to threats of intimidation and harassment of our members and reps,” Cash added.
Read more: Tube chaos to hit commuters next week in three-day strike
London Underground said it has ensured it can “deliver a Tube service” on the weekend while minimising disruption, adding: “The safety of customers and staff is our top priority and our proposals do not compromise this.”