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15:18 GMT, Friday, 4 April 2008 16:18 UK

Thousands trapped on Underground

Passengers being walked along track

Thousands of commuters were stuck on the Tube for up to three hours when a power cut affected the Jubilee Line.

London Underground staff evacuated up to 5,000 passengers to safety through tunnels. A total of nine trains were affected by the power failure.

The trains stalled on Thursday evening following loss of power at the control centre in Neasden, north-west London.

On Friday morning a Docklands Light Railway (DLR) train derailed when it hit an object on the track.

When the Jubilee Line trains lost power shortly after 1800 BST, the last of the passengers were taken off the carriages after 2100 BST.

Ambulances were on standby in case anyone needed treatment.

"Some passengers did try to prise the doors open as after an hour or so it was very stuffy and you really felt like you couldn't breathe"
Caroline Bridger, passenger

Passenger Caroline Bridger was trapped on a train for about two-and-a-half hours.

She got on a train at Bond Street station shortly after 1800 BST and the train stopped just after leaving Green Park station.

"We were getting regular communication from the driver, but he had no way of finding out what was going on. He was getting frustrated too," Ms Bridger said.

"Some passengers did try to prise the doors open as after an hour or so it was very stuffy and you really felt like you couldn't breathe."

She added passengers shared food around and were happy to give up seats for others.

Some found the journey out of the tunnel difficult.

"Many passengers had bulky luggage they had to drag in the tunnel, there were small children and pregnant women," said fellow passenger Krys Dudek.

"After getting to the station, nothing was arranged to get passengers home - there were no replacement buses."

No-one injured

A Transport for London (TfL) spokeswoman said: "Staff from across the Jubilee and Northern lines were called in to assist with the detrainment process.

"Emergency services were called as is standard in these type of situations. However, no customers required medical assistance."

Services from Finchley Road to Stanmore resumed at 2040 BST. An investigation has now begun.

It followed a power cut on the Jubilee Line in February which left 450 passengers stranded.

In a separate incident, two DLR carriages derailed at Deptford Bridge DLR station at around 0530 BST on Friday.

Fifty-nine passengers were removed from the carriages and no injuries were reported.

The DLR was suspended between Greenwich and Lewisham stations as a result.



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Related to this story:
Safety row Tube strike called off (03 Apr 08 |  London )
Virtual tube ride 'paranoia hope' (31 Mar 08 |  Health )
Fault strands 450 Tube passengers (06 Feb 08 |  London )
Hundreds stuck in Tube derailment (05 Jul 07 |  London )
Train derailment sparks inquiry (02 Jun 06 |  London )
Firms criticised over derailment (19 Aug 04 |  London )

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