Talks aimed at averting a 72-hour strike by London Underground maintenance workers next week ended without agreement tonight.

Rail union leaders today called for an urgent review of safety procedures after claiming that an internal report into a flooding incident at a Tube station in London showed it almost ended in “disaster”.

A Tube train with a suspect package on board passed through four London stations because staff cuts meant there was no-one available to evacuate and search the carriages, according to a leaked memo.

Bank of England Governor Mervyn King will face questions on bankers’ bonuses and tax evasion as well as a boycott by a leading trade unionist when he addresses the TUC Congress tomorrow.

Talks aimed at averting a series of strikes by London Underground workers from next week have broken down and the industrial action will go ahead as planned, union leaders said today.

A growing number of industrial disputes on London Underground (LU) is threatening fresh strikes because of a spate of rows in the UK over pay, sackings and staff transfers, it was warned today.

Thousands of Network Rail maintenance workers will strike today in a row over jobs and conditions.

THREE transport unions were last night poised to call a series of 24-hour strikes that could cripple services on the London Underground.

The threat of strikes by London Underground workers over pensions was lifted today when a union said it had won guarantees it was seeking.

A private consortium in charge of upgrading London Underground stations and tracks today launched a formal bid to recover an estimated £1bn (€1.48bn) it believes it is owed for extra work carried out under its deal.

A ballot of thousands of London Underground workers in a row over pay is expected to show “substantial” support for strike action, union leaders in the UK predicted today.

BRITISH Prime Minister Tony Blair sparked boos, heckling and a walkout as he faced a further challenge to his authority in a speech to Britain’s unions.

Ticket office staff at a leading British rail firm are believed to have backed industrial action in a row over jobs.

The UK's biggest railworkers’ union tonight pledged to support any London Underground driver or other employees who refused to work normally on grounds of safety following the latest explosions.

A BITTER row broke out last night after Tube drivers refused to carry out security inspections on London Underground trains.

A row broke out tonight after Tube drivers refused to carry out security inspections on London Underground trains.

British rail workers will today complete a country-wide march to press for the renationalisation of their industry, claiming strong public backing for their campaign.

Workers at British rail freight firm EWS are to launch a campaign of industrial action after talks aimed at resolving a row over jobs and conditions broke down, it was announced today.

Informal talks have opened between the UK's mineworkers’ union and the biggest rail union in Britain with a view to a merger, it was learned today.

Hopes of averting further strikes on London Underground rose today following a meeting between union leaders and the Mayor of London.

London Underground services will start to run down after this evening’s rush hour because of a strike by thousands of workers in a row over pay and conditions.

British rail workers voted to strike over pay, pensions and travel benefits, a move that is likely to disrupt train services across the country. The strike dates haven’t been set.

The SIPTU leadership and shop stewards from Iarnród Eireann are due to meet in Limerick today for the biennial conference of the union’s railway services division.

Seven people were taken to hospital today after a second derailment on the London Underground in less than 48 hours.

London Underground was at a standstill today when a strike by rail workers over pay crippled services and caused travel chaos in the capital.

Latest casualty figures from today's train crash outside London indicate five people dead, 15 others with life threatening or serious injuries, and a further 70 walking wounded.