Tube status: rush hour chaos after signal failure at King's Cross

Commuters warned to avoid Metropolitan line, Circle line and Hammersmith & City line

London Underground, The Tube, turns 150
The rolling stock on the London Underground has changed dramatically since the early days but even with the help of modern technology the network still struggles to cope with demand. One of the busiest sections of the network is the Northern Line through
(Image credit: Oli Scarff)

A signal failure at King's Cross threw the journeys of thousands into chaos this morning, with the Hammersmith & City line, Circle line and Metropolitan line most severely affected.

The station, one of the London transport network's major hubs, reported minor issues related to signalling problems at around 6am. An hour later, the delays were upgraded to "severe", leaving rush hour commuters with little choice but to crowd the local buses.

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The Metropolitan line was also severely affected by the signalling problems at King's Cross, with no service at all for around half an hour on the busy Aldgate to Baker Street stretch. Although the central portion of the line is now getting back to normal, Wembley Park to Aldgate is still subject to major delays.

Meanwhile, the Central line was experiencing minor delays during rush hour for another reason. According to TfL's Twitter page, the extended wait times at Central line platforms were due to a "lack of trains".

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