Walking, buses, bicycles: London’s commuters make do as subway system shut

Some people chose to walk a long way to work, Xinhua news agency reported.

TfL said the bus network performed well, but traffic was heavy, and the rush hour was starting early for the second day in succession.

London’s economy could also be hit to the tune of hundreds of millions of pounds, as stated by a few estimates.

Steve Griffiths, LU chief operating officer, said: “A night-time Tube service is something Londoners and businesses have been requesting for many years”. But we mustn’t deviate from this unity between the unions.

“We made clear that deal was still on the table, it still is and the unions should come and talk to us about it”.

“The offer remains on the table and we are ready for talks”.

TfL also says it has ruled out unlimited working hours and want drivers to work an “average of seven night shifts a year”.

Despite the strike ending tonight, there will still be no Tube until tomorrow morning.

Tube services started running down from 5pm on Wednesday (July 8) until Friday morning.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, Aslef, the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) and Unite have been in dispute over pay being offered for the new all-night Tubes, and staged a 24-hour walkout last night which will disrupt services until Friday morning.

The dispute is over pay and conditions for staff working on the Night Tube service.

Others managed to find humour in the strike, with Felicity Morse tweeting: “Londoners have turned to savagery in the midst of the #tubestrike”.

“However, where the employee can not get to work and the business has been forced to close, the employer should generally maintain full payment of the employee because he is unable to provide work for that day, unless any contractual lay-off provisions are invoked”.

Union bosses say their protests centre on the all-night Underground services that start in September and “issues of fairness, safety, work/life balance and equality”.

“We have got to get on with the night Tube”. “It is the directors, and those above them, who simply do not believe that their staff have a right to a reasonable quality of life”.

“Unfortunately what has happened is that the union leadership has basically been spoiling for a big fight on this”.

Then he paused and added, “Of course, I think it’s bloody inconvenient”.

If you’ve been planning to use the London Underground this week, here’s all you need to know about what’s going to happen – and how to beat the travel blues.

London Overground, DLR, TfL Rail and trams will all operate a normal service but all public transport and roads will be much busier than usual.

Signalling problems at London Bridge railway station compounded the misery for commuters and other travellers.

Tubes are expected to be “exceptionally busy” between 4pm and 6pm – just after the Budget – as people try to get home before the 24-hour strike officially starts at 6.30pm.

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