The trade union responsible for bringing London’s Underground network to a standstill is set to pile more misery on commuters as it threatens strike action on the Elizabeth line.
Londoners are relying heavily on Crossrail — which connects Reading and Heathrow with the city centre through to Abbey Wood and Shenfield — with the Underground virtually shut down.
This is due to a five-day walkout, lasting until Friday morning, by members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT).
Britain’s biggest transport union, which represents around 10,000 Tube workers, is in an ongoing dispute with Transport for London (TfL) over pay and working conditions.
The Elizabeth line — a joint venture between the UK's Go-Ahead Group, the Japanese conglomerate Sumitomo Corporation and Tokyo Metro — is still running despite being part of TfL.
But the RMT is threatening a period of “sustained industrial action” on the line used by 800,000 each day over an alleged plan that it claims would result in the closure of ticket offices.
The RMT claims to have uncovered “unredacted documents” signalling that the booths would be earmarked for closure by 2027.
Eddie Dempsey, the RMT’s general secretary, said that such a decision was “like pouring petrol on the fire” during the walkouts.
He added: “After the biggest wave of public opposition we’ve seen in years to ticket office closures, it’s beyond belief that similar plans are being put back on the table for the Elizabeth Line.
This reckless move is like pouring petrol on the fire
“These offices are vital for thousands of passengers, especially disabled and vulnerable people who depend on face-to-face services.
“If this decision is not immediately rescinded we will trigger an immediate dispute on the Elizabeth Line with a view to taking sustained industrial action and launching a mass public campaign.
“The public’s views were made crystal clear in the railway ticket office consultation, yet TfL is pressing ahead with a mass campaign of closures that repeats the Tories’ madcap, failed plans.
“We are demanding that the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and TfL step in to prevent these closures from taking place.”
However, a TfL spokesman told The Standard on Tuesday: “There are no plans to close ticket offices.”
