Commuters faced further rail disruption on Monday morning, with a technical glitch affecting two major London stations, the first working day of the year without major strike action.
An integral failure at Waterloo station led to train cancellations, while power supply problems at Charing Cross station delayed or diverted some services.
at least three south west railway (SWR) train due to arrive London Waterloo has been canceled due to “an issue that is being investigated by the station,” according to a travel update.
Services to Windsor & Eton Riverside and Twickenham are affected.
SWR has warned there could be delays to train services to and from Waterloo, with some lines blocked.
The disruption is expected to last until the end of the day.
“We have been informed that there are issues with a series of points at London Waterloo,” said Monday’s update. “Slight delays are expected.”
A set of points are sections of track that can be moved, allowing trains to change direction and visit different parts of the network.
Southeastern said a power failure between London Bridge and London’s Charing Cross Road had caused delays or interruptions to some services and some services would be rerouted.
Due to power problems, Charing Cross only used three stations instead of six.
In an update just before 8am, the rail company said Network Rail crews were on scene and working to resolve the issue. The London Underground will accept tickets for free.
Further damage will cost the capital’s economy around £180m after a “hellish week” of rail strikes, city economists warned on Friday.
Members of the RMT and Aslef unions took strike action over wages and working conditions in the first week of January.the train driver is Rail Delivery Group proposes 8% pay rise over two years Friday night. Aslef has yet to respond to the offer.
More strikes are planned for this week.
The Prospect and TSSA rail unions have announced that workers on the Elizabeth line will strike on Thursday 12 January over a dispute over wages and pensions.
Meanwhile, bus drivers employed by Abellio in south and west London continue to strike. Days in January affected by the bus strike include the 10th, 12th, 16th, 19th, 25th and 26th.
London Underground will not be involved in this week’s strike, however, they could have knock-on effects on TfL services.
The government is stepping up the implementation of the introduction plan New legislation for ‘minimum security levels’ during industrial action.
A bill will be introduced to parliament in the coming weeks to ensure vital public services remain “essentially functional” while workers strike. Minimum safety levels will be set for fire, ambulance and rail services, with the government saying consultations will take place on “appropriate levels of coverage”.
Ministers are due to meet unions on Monday in an attempt to end a wave of strikes in the health care and transport sectors.
The government called on unions to call off the strike while they hold talks, arguing that inflation-matched wage increases would only fuel further price increases and lead to further hikes in interest rates and mortgage payments.
Unions say they will only call off strikes in the coming weeks if an offer to resolve this year’s pay dispute is brought forward, while the government wants to negotiate next year’s pay rise.
