Commuter Misery on Strike Day

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But partial service resumes on Hammersmith & City line

Commuters faced an arduous journey into work this morning as most of the Tube network shut down on the first full day of a 48-hour strike.

In Shepherd's Bush, Shepherd's Bush Market station on the Hammersmith and City line was closed for the early morning rush hour, but had opened again by nine o'clock. Staff said there was now a limited service on the line with trains running approximately every fifteen minutes. The other Hammersmith and City line stations which were open were: Hammersmith, Ladbroke Grove and Baker Street.

The Central line station at Shepherd's Bush was closed but with no picket outside. Instead, a couple of staff members were on hand to help commuters find alternative means of transport. On the opposite side of the road, commuters poured into and out of the Overground station but the service there was also not without difficulties: a notice indicated there were no Southern trains running northbound from Shepherd's Bush to Milton Keynes. Staff said this had nothing to do with the Tube strike and the problem would be resolved by around 10am.

Many commuters, who crowded around the bus stops on the Green and at the Westfield interchange, said they were extremely late for work.

“I was supposed to be at work at 8am,” said commuter Mary who was still standing at a bus stop at 8.45am. “I waited at a bus stop in Greenford, to get to Shepherd's Bush, for one hour and twenty minutes and now I have been waiting here for 20 minutes. Four buses have passed but they were all full,” she said. Of the striking Tube workers she said: “They should find an alternative (to strike action) because the public depend on them so much.”

Kevin Kennie, who was waiting for a bus at the Westfield interchange, also said he didn't support the strike action. “I'm not sympathetic,” he said. “Everyone else doesn't have a job. I'm a nurse and we're not allowed to strike. I came over from Ealing this morning and I am one and a half hours late for work. I missed giving a speech this morning. I was supposed to give a speech on giving up smoking.”

Commuter Irma, who was trying to get to South Kensington, expressed a similar sentiment. “They (Tube workers) are asking for 5 percent when there's a credit crunch. It doesn't seem fair to me. I waited about 25 minutes in Acton this morning to get a bus to Shepherd's Bush and now I am 40 minutes late. Yesterday evening was much worse: I waited for 45 minutes.”

There was slow-moving traffic around Shepherd's Bush Green this morning while there were long tailbacks on Wood Lane and South Africa Road. The Holland Park roundabout was also extremely busy with slow-moving traffic along the A3220 heading south. However, the northbound carriageway was clear.

Last-ditch talks on Tuesday (June 9) between Transport for London management and the RMT union failed to avert the strike. London Mayor Boris Johnson said union leader Bob Crow needed to return to the negotiating table.

"Given that Londoners are enduring a partial, a very, very irritating, unnecessary and misery-making Tube strike, I think he should send his negotiators back to the table where he will find a very good deal. It's absolutely essential in my view that people of goodwill get round the negotiating table in the next few hours. Some services are, in fact, running this morning, which I think underlines the fragility of the strike," he told the BBC.

However, Crow blamed TfL management for the failure to reach a deal.

“The whole thing stinks of last minute sabotage and the RMT believes that must have come from the very top, and the finger is pointing at Boris Johnson and Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy. Johnson needs to stop the political grandstanding and meet direct with RMT to settle the pay, jobs and bullying issues at the heart of this strike," he said.

Yasmine Estaphanos

10 June 2009