Thousands defy Tube strike that will cost London £170m

VAST numbers of Londoners today defied the Tube strike, with commuters cramming onto trains and buses or walking and cycling to work.

- Ross Lydall, John Dunne and Jonathan Prynn

But economists warned the walkout — combined with the first of two days of teachers’ strikes — left many workers stuck at home and would deliver a £170 million blow to the capital’s economy.

There were extraordinary scenes at Tottenham Court Road station, where thousands of rush-hour passengers were forced to queue in tunnels for Elizabeth line trains.

Huge crowds walked across London Bridge from the mainline station into the City. Roads around Brixton and Elephant and Castle were packed with cars, buses, and cyclists.

It was a remarkable contrast to the scenes over Christmas and New Year when national rail strikes left central London like a “ghost town”.