New delays cap 'month of chaos' on Tube

London Underground passengers suffered fresh delays today because of problems including a defective train, capping a "month of unprecedented chaos" on the Tube.

The Victoria line was hit, with passengers told there had been a defect in a new train in the King's Cross area which had to be reversed back to another station.

Victoria Tube station, one of the busiest in the capital, was closed for a while, causing delays for thousands of commuters and other travellers.

Bob Crow, general secretary of the Rail Maritime and Transport union, said: "We have now had a month of unprecedented chaos on the Tube.

"All of our warnings about cuts to staffing, maintenance and the legacy of privatisation have come home to roost and the Underground is lurching from crisis to crisis on a daily basis, with worse to come with more cuts in the pipeline.

"It remains a scandal that, in his third year in charge, Mayor Boris Johnson has yet to meet the London transport unions to discuss a way out of this shambles."

Politicians, unions and passenger groups have all criticised Tube delays and breakdowns in recent weeks as well as the huge number of suspensions at weekends because of engineering works.

The entire Circle line will be suspended this weekend, while services on the the District, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan and Piccadilly lines and Docklands Light Railway will be affected.

A Transport for London spokesman said: "There were minor delays on the Metropolitan Line starting at 7.30am this morning following overnight maintenance issues which reduced the number of trains available for service.

"There are severe delays on the Victoria Line following the activation of two on-board passenger train alarms at Finsbury Park station at 8.28am.

"The train was held there for 10 minutes after two passengers in separate incidents activated the emergency stop buttons. We are now working on restoring the service."

Labour's London Mayoral candidate Ken Livingstone said: "Further delays on the Tube have caused misery for thousands of Londoners this morning. The Conservative Mayor promised action a month ago but Londoners continue to suffer daily disruption on their way to work.

"It's time for Boris Johnson to explain to Londoners how often he has met TfL managers, what action he has taken to sort this mess out and what progress has been made as a result."

TfL added that normal wheel maintenance on the Metropolitan Line had been complicated by the effects of the use of anti-skid measures to combat leaves on the line.