London tube strike shuts down services as TfL website crashes

Strikes by the RMT union have closed the underground, with Transport for London’s website crashing as commuters in the capital looked for alternative routes to work. Buses and the Elizabeth line were taking the strain with queues to board other modes of transport around London, as strikes by tube train and station staff left virtually the entire underground network suspended. Monday morning marked the first of four days of expected total shutdown to the tube through the strikes, which started in places on Friday with minimal disruption. Commuter misery as London tube network shut; oil prices climb and gold breaks through $3,600 – business live

Very limited tube services on the outer, above-ground stretches of the Central and Metropolitan line started running later in the morning. The London Overground and most national rail services also continued to operate, although some major rail interchanges such as Farringdon were closed because of the RMT action. TfL’s online journey planner and its TfL Go app appeared to be struggling under the weight of searches, failing to load and returning error messages or no results early on Monday morning. The worst impact for congestion and transport is expected on Tuesday, with more Londoners still typically working from home on Mondays and Fridays. Docklands Light Railway trains will not run on Tuesday or Thursday because of strikes arising in a separate dispute. The ride hailing app Uber warned users of higher fares because of increased demand. Rides were quoted at multiples of normal levels, with some journeys costing about £50 for a five-mile trip in the capital. About 10,000 members of the RMT are taking part in industrial action in the tube row, as the union attempts to secure a shorter working week as part of pay negotiations. TfL has made a pay offer of 3.4%, which it urged the union to put to its members in a fresh ballot. It has said it cannot meet demands to cut hours below the current 36 a week.

An RMT spokesperson said: “We are not going on strike to disrupt small businesses or the public. This strike is going ahead because of the intransigent approach of TfL management and their refusal to even consider a small reduction in the working week in order to help reduce fatigue and the ill-health effects of long-term shift work on our members.” Nick Dent, the London Underground director of customer operations, said the demands were “simply unaffordable” and called on the union to end its action, adding: “It will be very damaging for us.” Support for the union came from the 4 Day Week Foundation. Joe Ryle, its campaign director, said: “It’s a bold and necessary stand, and these workers deserve widespread support. The five-day week is a century-old model that no longer reflects how we live and work today.” Underground services are not expected to resume until 8am on Friday should the strikes continue.