Tube passengers walk on track after power fails

Hundreds of London Underground passengers had to walk along the track today after trains were stuck in tunnels because of a power failure.

Commuters and other travellers had to walk for 20 minutes along the track of the Jubilee Line lit only by staff carrying torches, leaving many feeling traumatised and angry by the breakdown.

A Transport for London spokesman said: “Due to power supply problems in the Baker Street area, the Jubilee line was suspended between Finchley Road and London Bridge at 0852 this morning.

“Five trains were stalled as a result. Passengers were taken off all five trains, with the last returned to stations at around 1130.

“London Underground would like to apologise to customers whose journeys were disrupted this morning particularly those who were on the stalled trains. An investigation is currently under way to establish the cause of the power failure.”

Meanwhile, the Rail Maritime and Transport union (RMT) claimed that an overtime ban by London Underground workers in a row over job cuts caused “chaos” on a number of Tube lines during the morning rush hour.

There were severe delays on the Central and Metropolitan Lines and minor delays on the District, Northern and Piccadilly Lines, causing problems for commuters and other travellers.

The RMT said an ongoing ban on overtime by thousands of workers in a long-running row over job cuts had caused today’s delays.

The union, and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA), has already held two strikes and is threatening fresh walkouts next month, claiming Transport for London was now planning to cut almost 2,000 jobs.