Piccadilly line Tube strike: Tens of thousands face rush hour misery amid 48-hour strike

Patrick Grafton-Green27 September 2018

Tens of thousands of Londoners face rush hour misery on Wednesday evening amid a 48-hour strike by Piccadilly line workers.

Transport for London confirmed the entire line had been suspended at 4pm after the walkout began at midday. The transport company earlier advised travellers to complete their journeys by 1pm.

Popular interchange stations including Finsbury Park, King’s Cross St Pancras, Green Park and Hammersmith are likely to be very busy as commuters make their way home work.

A number of people took to social media as crowds descended on King's Cross on Wednesday evening.

The strike could also affect thousands of football fans heading to Arsenal's Carabao Cup match against Brentford.

Other Tube lines are set to run as normal, but may be more busy. Extra buses will be running, but they are likely to congested.

The Piccadilly line also serves Heathrow Airport, leaving many facing a battle to reach their flights during the strike.

The Piccadilly line strike will last for 48 hours from midday
PA Wire/PA Images

TfL has advised using Heathrow Express and Tfl Rail services to and from Paddington Station, but they are likely to be busy and tickets will need to be booked in advance.

It comes after last-ditch talks between TfL and the Rail, Maritime and Transport union broke down earlier this week.

A further five-hour walkout is set to take place from 8.30pm on Friday.

Faces of frustration: Battling the Tube strike

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TfL warned there would be little or no service on the line during the strikes, including Friday’s night Tube, and advised passengers to use buses or alternative Tube lines.

The M4 is expected to be busier from Wednesday afternoon to Saturday morning, while taxi companies are also expecting an "increased demand”.

Buses, London Overground, Great Northern and TfL rail will accept printed Tube tickets during the strike. South Western will accept tickets between Waterloo and Feltham via Hounslow.

The strikes were called in reaction to a breakdown in industrial relations between Transport for London and the RMT union.

Mick Cash, RMT general secretary, said: "This dispute is about a comprehensive breakdown in industrial relations over a series of long-running unresolved grievances including the abuse of procedures and failure to implement key safety and operational improvements agreed in the past with the union.”

Nigel Holness, TfL's director of network operations for London Underground, said: "They have made no attempt to engage with us to try and resolve this dispute.

"We continue to uphold all our commitments following discussions with the RMT earlier in the year and their claims that no progress has been made are totally untrue.

"We are hugely disappointed that customers will suffer three days of disruption for no good reason."

The two sides met at the conciliation service Acas but talks ended without agreement.

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