Millions of commuters hit in Tube strike chaos

Reuters/LondonMillions of commuters struggled to reach work yesterday as London Underground train workers staged their second 48-hour strike this year to protest at job cuts and office closures in a dispute that is expected to cost businesses millions of pounds.The walk-out that started at 2030GMT Monday reduced the Tube network to limited services on nine out of 11 lines with extra buses and river boat services laid on to help the 3mn people who use the service daily to get to work.“It’s unacceptable that millions of people are having their lives disrupted by the Tube strike in London,” Prime Minister David Cameron said on Twitter. Transport for London (TfL), which runs London’s public transport network, said thousands of staff and volunteers turned out yesterday to assist commuters, some of whom resorted to running, cycling or walking to get to work.The walk-out, and a planned three-day strike next week, is over plans to close about 250 ticket offices and cut 950 jobs in a restructuring that TfL says could save £50mn a year.The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) says the cuts will risk safety and quality of services but TfL says less than 3% of journeys on the 151-year-old Tube network involve ticket offices as most passengers use electronic travel cards and it has guaranteed no one will be forced from a job.Mike Brown, managing director of TfL unit London Underground, said staff were doing all they could to keep London moving.The action follows a similar two-day strike in February which crippled the train network but after a second walkout planned for February was averted to let talks take place.Those negotiations broke down earlier this month.The Federation of Small Businesses estimated that strike cost small businesses, which make up about 99% of London companies, about £600mn in lost working hours, business and productivity.Its estimate of the financial impact of the strike was based on a poll of its members that found businesses took a hit of about £1,297 each due to cancelled meetings, staff absences, and difficulty transporting good and services.“Many businesses will be rightly concerned about the potential impact five days will have,” the federation’s national chairman John Allan said in a statement, adding that businesses should draft contingency plans for the next action from May 5.Commuters setting off for work found the services were not all running to plan, posting photos of packed train platforms. “Dear London tube commuters, please mind the gap between the timetable and reality,” tweeted Kerli Peetsalu. Road were busy with extra cyclists, taxis and hire cars, some offering special deals to lure tube-stranded commuters. “Ah, that magical time when the roads are filled with cyclists who haven’t been on a bike since the 90s,” tweeted Maxim Lutkin, while other posted photos of themselves at home, abandoning work for the day.