Content area
Full text
As the first direct Elizabeth Line trains from Reading began gliding into London last weekend, it was hailed as a "huge moment" by Sadiq Khan.
"This new stage of the Elizabeth line will bring a huge boost to our city," the London Mayor said, promising the new full service would be available seven days a week.
Yet in a week that should have been a step forward, London's transport network has once again been gripped by disruption and delay as a result of a fresh round of tube strikes.
Industrial action by members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) - led by general secretary Mick Lynch - brought almost every underground line to a halt yesterday, as a row with Transport for London (TfL) over pensions and jobs grinds on.
Exhausted commuters were forced to pile into buses like sardines as they sought alternative routes to work. More chaos will follow when members of drivers union Aslef walk out on Nov 26, disrupting the London Overground, London North Eastern Railway, Great Western Railway, Avanti West Coast and eight other train operators nationally.
Yesterday's strike is estimated to have cost London's economy £14m in lost output, according to the Centre for Economics and Business Research. Some 78,000 people who can only do their jobs in person were left unable to travel to work. Transport disruption also has a huge impact on small businesses who depend on a steady flow of commuters, particularly those in sectors such as hospitality.
Martin Williams, boss of the Gaucho restaurant chain, said his company had been deprived of six-figure takings.
"In the face of a cost of living crisis, super-inflation and soaring energy bills, the last thing restaurateurs need is the current roster of rail and train strikes," Williams laments.
"For small businesses, the impact of this action alone will result in the permanent closure of restaurants, job losses...