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Bakerloo line suspended after tube hits tunnel; no casualties

Commuters in London faced severe delays this morning as the Bakerloo line was suspended after a train was believed to hit a tunnel.

Overnight maintenance work was thought to have moved the inner ring of the tube tunnel near Embankment on the River Thames.

The problem was reported at around 7.30am when a train apparently clipped part of the Underground.

Transport for London suspended the line between Piccadilly Circus and Elephant and Castle, reporting an obstruction on the line.

There were also severe delays on the rest of the line, which runs from north to south London.

British Transport Police were called at around 7.30am after reports of a problem near Embankment in London.

The London Fire Brigade was called to the station just after 6am amid reports of "smoke".

Crews left the scene just over an hour later, a spokesman said. He declined to comment further.

At Embankment Tube station the escalators were closed due to the "fire alert".

London Underground's operations director, Nigel Holness, said: "There is no tunnel collapse in the Bakerloo line, nor is there any flooding or any injuries. It is wrong and irresponsible to suggest otherwise.

"Our engineers and emergency response unit are on site assessing the situation and have advised there is no flooding or risk of flooding or any collapse of the tunnel. We are working to resolve the issue and restore Tube services as soon as possible."

He went on: "There is currently no service on the Bakerloo line between the Elephant and Castle and Piccadilly Circus. There are delays on the rest of the Bakerloo line. We apologise to customers for any delayed journeys this morning.

"The problems this morning are not in any way connected with the industrial action taken by some maintenance workers on the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines, which has had no impact since the strike began."

The London Fire Brigade and paramedics from the London Ambulance Service were on the scene but it is understood there were no injuries and the damage was not thought to be serious.

Bakerloo line train hits bulge in tunnel causing delays

(http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/59889000/jpg/_59889576_bakerloobulge2.jpg)

A London Underground train has hit a bulge in a tunnel wall on the Bakerloo line leading to severe delays.

The line remains suspended between Elephant & Castle and Piccadilly Circus, while the rest of the line was subject to severe disruption.

Transport for London (TfL) said the tunnel had not collapsed and no-one was injured.

Maintenance workers on three lines are currently on strike but the Bakerloo Line is not one of the affected lines.

The incident happened during the morning rush hour on Thursday.

The RMT union said the incident had been caused by water which had caused a bulge in the tunnel wall.

It has now called for a full safety inquiry and demanded that concerns about maintenance and cuts to staffing levels are included.

TfL confirmed the presence of the damaged wall and said engineers were assessing the situation.

The bulge is in the wall's steel plates, which are bolted together.

The TfL spokeswoman added that she did not yet know when the line would reopen.

BBC London's transport correspondent Tom Edwards said the damage was found by an emergency response unit.

Nigel Holness, London Underground's operations director, said: "There is no tunnel collapse in the Bakerloo line, nor is there any flooding or any injuries. It is wrong and irresponsible to suggest otherwise."

He added: "The problems this morning are not in any way connected with the industrial action taken by some maintenance workers on the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines, which has had no impact since the strike began."

Bakerloo line Tube suspension caused by 'expanded grout'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-17869812

RMT Yawn.