As the rail strikes hit day two commuters have been left literally queuing around the block, those travelling from East Putney were among those worse affected due to tube outages as well as the strike.
Justine Greening Tory MP was among commuters trying to travel to work. She said on Twitter, “.@TfL and @MayorofLondon – this morning there are no tubes from East Putney station and no @SW_Railway trains – it’s a nightmare for my community to get to work.
“It’s totally unacceptable for London’s transport system.”
.@TfL and @MayorofLondon – this morning there are no tubes from East Putney station and no @SW_Railway trains – it’s a nightmare for my community to get to work. It’s totally unacceptable for London’s transport system. pic.twitter.com/FJSolhI851
— Justine Greening (@JustineGreening) June 19, 2019
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) on South Western Railway have staged a five-day strike.
Chaotic scenes were seen at Surbiton station in South West London as commuters formed an enormous queue around the station.
#Surbiton High Street has turned into one long queue @SW_Help @SW_Railway pic.twitter.com/OpR8daVZI8
— James Robinson (@james_robinson2) June 18, 2019
A South Western Railway spokesman said on Tuesday, “We are sorry that customers faced long queues at Surbiton station.
“While we are doing all we can to keep passengers moving during this unnecessary industrial action, Surbiton station is one of our busiest stations and we need to keep passengers safe by controlling access to the platforms.”
RMT general secretary Mick Cash, who joined a picket line at Waterloo station on Tuesday said, “RMT has campaigned relentlessly for the principle of putting safety on the railway first and the current stalemate over the safety-critical role of the guard on SWR trains cannot be allowed to drag on any longer.
“Our members have been left with no choice but to go ahead with strike action throughout this week. They are angry and frustrated that despite suspending action in good faith, and entering into talks in a positive and constructive manner, South Western Railway have dragged their heels and failed to bolt down an agreement that matches up to our expectations on the guard guarantee.
“We thank the public for their continuing support and understanding that this dispute is all about safety, access and passenger service on Britain’s increasingly violent and dangerous railways.”
Leave a Comment