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Travel chaos hits commuters as London Underground train workers strike

Thousands queued to try and get on crammed buses, while others reluctantly walked or cycled, amid little to no Tube service for five days

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A commuter outside the closed Liverpool Street tube station due to a Tube strike that has shut down nearly all London Underground services in London, Britain, on Monday. Photo: EPA
Agence France-Presse

Rush-hour commuters faced chaos on Monday as staff on the London Underground train network staged a five-day strike, shutting stations and forcing people to work from home or use alternative modes of transport.

Thousands queued to try and get on crammed buses, while others reluctantly walked or cycled.

Transport for London (TfL), which manages the Underground, also known as the Tube, warned there would be little or no service between Monday and Thursday as a result of the first major strike in more than two years.

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Lauren, 53, a construction sector admin worker, said she was having to walk a couple of kilometres to work in central London instead of catching her usual Tube train.

“It’s a real inconvenience. I’m not sympathetic [to train drivers]. They should get back to work,” she said.

Commuters queue for bus services due to a Tube strike that has shut down nearly all London Underground services in London, Britain, on Monday. Photo: EPA
Commuters queue for bus services due to a Tube strike that has shut down nearly all London Underground services in London, Britain, on Monday. Photo: EPA

The RMT trade union called the strike on the Tube – which carries up to 5 million passengers a day – as they battle to secure better pay and conditions.

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