In pictures: London Tube strike

Industrial action by Tube workers has brought much of the Underground network in London to a standstill. Millions of miserable passengers were forced to find alternative routes to work.

The walkout began at 1859 BST on Tuesday and is due to last for 48 hours. At least nine Tube lines are affected and where services are running they are subject to severe delays.

Long queues formed at taxi ranks at all major rail interchanges across the capital, including Liverpool Street station. Transport for London has introduced taxi-sharing schemes to try to help.

Although not an option for many, commuters were also advised that walking to work may have been quicker than taking public transport.

Buses were inundated with thousands of extra passengers. One hundred extra buses have been laid on to soak up some of the demand.

Some commuters even took to the water to get to work. A free river shuttle has been put on to serve major interchanges like Blackfriars and Canary Wharf.

But perhaps not as many as expected decided to use two wheels. These extra bikes racks in Trafalgar Square lay empty after the morning rush hour.

It has been a bad day for commuters, but there has also been concern for the safety of fans going to England's World Cup qualifier at Wembley. However, the game will go ahead on Wednesday night.

London Mayor Boris Johnson, pictured walking to work, called the RMT's decision to strike "absolutely crazy". But union leader Bob Crow accused the mayor of sabotaging a deal aimed at preventing it.

Services on the Underground are not expected to return to normal until Friday morning. In the meantime, many stations like Vauxhall, pictured, remain closed altogether.

Back

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Next