London Tube strike causes widespread disruption

Millions of Londoners were attempting to travel home amid a major Tube strike affecting nearly all its lines.

Services on all but the Northern Line are currently suspended or delayed as the first in a series of 24-hour strikes continues.

Staff walked out in two waves, at 1700 BST and 2100 BST, on Monday in a row over 800 job cuts.

Unions said support for the strike was "rock solid" while the city's transport bosses said London "was not paralysed".

The strike was due to finish at 2100 BST on Tuesday, but Transport for London (TfL) said there would be some disruption throughout the rest of the night.

Service resumption

It is hoped that services will be running fully on Wednesday morning.

A full service has been operating on the Northern Line, but many stations on the route are closed. There has been a full service on the Waterloo and City Line since the latter part of the morning rush hour.

The Bakerloo, Victoria, District, Central, Piccadilly, Hammersmith and City, Jubilee and Metropolitan lines are all partly suspended and more than 70 stations remain closed.

The Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) unions are fighting London Underground (LU) plans to scrap 800 jobs in Underground ticket offices.

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Two commuters and Bob Crow from the RMT union talk about the strikes

The unions have said security could be compromised for passengers.

But LU has insisted all stations would still be staffed and pledged there would be no compulsory redundancies.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "The message to the mayor and his transport officials is clear - stop playing fast and loose with safety, stop the drive towards unstaffed stations, drop the threat of these lethal cuts and start meaningful talks on a safe and secure future for the London Tube system."

The RMT has also accused LU of breaching safety regulations during the strike, but the Office of Rail Regulation said it was satisfied with LU's arrangements.

Mike Brown, of LU, said: "We are doing everything possible to keep as many Tube services operating today, and to keep Londoners moving.

"Londoners will face some disruption, but the city is not paralysed and people will still be able to get around."

An extra 100 buses and 10,000 more passenger journeys on Thames riverboat services have been laid on to cope with the strike.

Some taxi ranks were being marshalled and escorted bike rides have been operating.

A TfL spokesman said there had been an extra 2,000 completed journeys using the city's cycle hire scheme between 0800 BST and 0900 BST, compared to the same time on Monday, a rise of about 60%.

But outside Kings Cross station in central London, commuters expressed their frustration.

Zeubair Latif, 23, from Gants Hill, in east London, who had just finished working a night shift stocking shelves at St Pancras' M&S store said: "It's a joke. It affects a lot of people."

Sarah Fenton, 34, from Hertford, said: "We're being held to ransom by the strikers."

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said new staffing proposals for the Underground were "moderate and sensible" and accused the unions of "cynically deciding to try the patience" of commuters.

Maintenance staff walked out first on Monday followed by drivers, signallers and station staff.

TfL said that on Tuesday almost 40% of its trains were running and only the Circle Line was completely suspended.

Mr Johnson said new staffing proposals for the Underground were "moderate and sensible" and accused the unions of "cynically deciding to try the patience" of commuters.

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The scene at King's Cross during rush hour

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