Tube strike contingency plans unveiled

Contingency plans to help people to get to work during next week's Tube strike in London have been unveiled.

Thousands of union members are due to walk out for 24 hours on Monday in a row over job losses.

Up to 100 extra buses, 10,000 more Thames river boat passenger places, marshalled taxi ranks and escorted bike rides will be laid on.

Volunteers will also be outside Tube, bus and railway stations to provide passengers with travel information.

'Team effort'

Talks to avert the strike broke down on Thursday.

Transport for London (TfL) has warned that disruption is expected from late afternoon on Monday and will last throughout Tuesday if the strike goes ahead.

Mayor Boris Johnson, said: "The extra measures we have put in call for a team effort and people will need to consider buses, boats or bikes as an alternative to their usual journeys."

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) are protesting against plans to cut 800 ticket office jobs.

Up to 10,000 workers are due to walk out for 24 hours on 6 September, 3 October, 2 November and 28 November.

Maintenance and engineering staff intend to walk out at 1700 BST with other workers, including Tube drivers, signallers and station staff, following suit at 2100 BST on the same dates.

Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy said: "There is no need for any action as the changes we are introducing come with no compulsory redundancies."

Finalising plans

Urging the mayor to take the dispute seriously RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "The action is on and our members are finalising plans for picket lines across the network.

"It's down to LU to pull back from the brink of their ill-conceived cuts plans and to clear the way for meaningful discussions that protect safety and safe staffing levels."

Workers at Alstom-Metro depots on the Jubilee and Northern lines also plan to strike in protest over pay and conditions.

They will walk out for 24 hours at 1900 on 5 September, 2 October, 1 November and 27 November.

TSSA members employed by Tube Lines will strike next Tuesday in a different row over pay.

Managers and clerical workers will walk out from 9am to 5pm and start an indefinite ban on overtime.