London Underground trains hit tunnel bulge

Several London Underground (LU) trains hit an obstruction on the Bakerloo Line this morning. A source close to LU told T&TI, “An area experiencing water ingress was patched up with quick-drying cement. This bulged out suddenly and this is what three or four trains hit.

“The area [located between Elephant & Castle and Piccadilly Circus] was reinforced with steel supports some 10 to 15 years ago.”

The incident occurred as the rapid response unit of Transport for London’s asset management subsidiary Tube Lines was on strike.

A TfL spokesman said no one was hurt and told the Guardian, “This is a minor tunnel defect. There has been no collapse or partial collapse. No one was hurt and there were no stalled trains. Our engineers are on site and we are trying to rectify the problem.”

London Underground operations director Nigel Holness told the BBC, “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.”

Bob Crow, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union told the Guardian, “Our reps understand that the suspension of Bakerloo line services is due to a partial tunnel collapse at Embankment that is currently under investigation.”