Overnight snow weather has led to severe disruption for travel on Monday’s morning rush hour, with delayed or cancelled trains.
London’s transport network is experiencing severe disruption. A number of London Underground lines have faced severe delays or have been part suspended, including the Bakerloo line and Overground line.
Transport for London (TfL) are advising travellers to check their journeys before leaving their homes, to avoid facing disruption.
Snow has disrupted London tube lines on Monday. Bakerloo line , London Overground and Metropolitan line are some of the lines in North West London, that have been severely impacted by the heavy snow and ice on the tracks.
On the roads, TfL has said that 28 routes out of over 600 are currently suspended meaning they cannot serve some of their usual route.
TfL workers at the stations, have also recommended travellers to use London Buses.
“This is quit annoying I have to be in class by 10 as I have an assignment to submit, and I don’t think I will make it on time since my train needs 55 minutes to arrive.” Grace, student travelling to her university.
National Railway has also been affected it has said that Thameslink, Gatwick Express and Southern services could be disrupted until 3pm.
Why does the snow affect the trains?
London’s transport network is not designed for extreme snowfall and freezing temperatures. Snow and ice build-up can clog up the tracks blocking points, preventing the train services from running.
The ice can coat the electrified rail, restricting the trains from using the power they need to operate.
Driving conditions are facing difficulties as snow causes road closures. Motorists are faced a nightmare as many were stuck in their cars for hours, due to delays on the M25 and M11 motorway, on Sunday.
Harrow Council has begun its gritting service to keep its roads flowing during the snow and ice weather, to ensure safety for both drivers and residents.
It will be a cold week for majority of people in the UK. Although more snow is not expected, the Met Office has advised that people should be careful as it has issued a yellow weather warning for ice, as the lying snow and icy patches could cause disruption for Tuesday.
Weather disruption comes ahead of the rail strikes. The strikes are set to hit train services in the build-up to Christmas, the travel chaos caused by the weather has given an insight on how the tube strike will cause disruption for travellers.