U.K. TRAIN STRIKE BRINGS TRANSIT CHAOS

Britain was hobbled Tuesday by its largest railway strike in three decades, halting trains across the country, throwing travel plans for tens of millions of Britons and visitors into chaos, and setting off what union and government leaders warned could be a long summer of labor unrest.

With last-ditch talks between the transport union and the rail operator collapsing Monday night, hundreds of trains ground to a halt for the first of three planned days of strikes. Most trains will also probably be halted Thursday and Saturday, with disruptions rippling across the system for the entire week.

In London, workers in the Underground system went on strike in a separate pension dispute, bringing much of the capital to a halt. With subway stations closed, the streets were clogged with cars and bicycles, as commuters sought alternative ways to get to work. Buses continued to run, and there was some skeleton train service.

“It’s been an absolute nightmare,” said Michaela Jones, 24, who had fruitlessly ordered taxis and Ubers, and lined up for buses in a 90-minute odyssey to travel to her job at a marketing agency in central London. “I knew there was going to be a strike,“she added, “but I thought it would be easy to get other modes of transport.”

The strikes are a major test for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who called on the unions to compromise on their demands at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has kept ridership and ticket revenue well below normal levels. He warned the public to expect a prolonged struggle to overhaul the finances of the rail system.

So far, the government has refused to intervene directly in the talks, which are between the unions and Network Rail, a company that manages the country’s railway system, as well as with the privatized train operators.

STEFAN ROUSSEAU AP A passenger at Euston station in London looks at the departures board on the first day of a rail strike on Tuesday. Britain’s biggest rail strike in decades began after talks between a union and train companies failed to reach a settlement over pay and job security.