09 January 2017•Update: 10 January 2017
By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal
LONDON
Millions of London commuters endured a miserable journey to work on Monday morning as a 24-hour strike by transport workers in the U.K. capital hit services hard.
The stoppage, which began at 6 p.m. on Sunday evening, saw the closure of some main underground rail lines and stations, forcing commuters onto buses, Uber taxis and even city bikes.
Long queues of shivering commuters caused traffic disruption around main transport hubs such as Victoria, Liverpool Street and King’s Cross stations.
Shortly after 9 a.m. Clapham Junction station in south London -- a major rail hub -- was shut due to overcrowding.
Additional vehicles on the M25 -- the main circular road around Greater London -- increased journey times as heavy traffic began to clog other routes.
The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) said it had rejected transport bosses’ latest offer before proceeding with the strike.
The labor union is unhappy over staffing issues and the planned closure of some ticketing stations.
“Absent because Tube bosses cut hundreds of front line jobs?” the RMT tweeted.
However, London Mayor Sadiq Khan took to social media to describe the industrial action as “totally unnecessary”.
Most underground lines are running a skeleton service with severe delays. Some main stations will remain closed until 6 p.m. local time, including Victoria and King’s Cross stations.
