Tube line closed until end of the year amid Covid related staff shortages
London’s transport chiefs have been forced to close a tube line until the end of the year amid Covid-19 related driver shortages.
The Underground will close the Waterloo and City line from today until early January in order to free up drivers to keep the Central line running the Evening Standard first reported.
Reportedly TFL is currently grappling with 500 non office based staff shortages as a result of Covid-19. Both the Central and Waterloo and City lines share the same pool of drivers and so the network is prioritising the busier line which runs under popular shopping destination Oxford Street.
The Waterloo and City Line which ferries commuters between Bank station and Waterloo has been closed for much of the pandemic as periodic work from home orders caused passenger numbers to plummet. Full service was resumed on the line last month, but office closures as a result of Omicron fears this month caused a 50 per cent drop in morning rush hour journeys on the tube compared to pre-pandemic levels.
A spokesperson for TFL told Morning Wire: “Like many businesses and organisations around the country, we are experiencing the effects of the pandemic with a number of staff ill due to Covid or self-isolating.
“Since the Government advised people to work from home, we have seen fewer customers commuting and the coming festive period will reduce ridership further.
“The Central line has remained busier than the Waterloo & City line, which is currently experiencing very low demand, so our Waterloo & City line drivers will be driving Central line trains to ensure we can continue to provide a good service where there is greater demand,” the spokesperson added.
The TFL spokesperson warned that further closures may occur at short notice amid spiralling staff shortages as a result of Omicron.
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