Further cuts to Tube, warns London Mayor Transport

TUBE trains will be cut back even further in the coming days, the Mayor of London warned yesterday, amid a row over the risk to health workers taking public transport.

British Transport Police began patrolling stations yesterday to prevent overcrowding after hostilities broke out between Downing Street and City Hall over who is to blame for packed carriages. Yesterday, Sadiq Khan, the city’s mayor, blamed Boris Johnson’s insistence on construction sites staying open for overcrowding.

Mr Khan added that the number of trains running would be reduced further with more staff expected to go off sick or into self-isolation.

Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, insisted in a televised briefing on Tuesday that there was “no good reason” why timetables had been cut to the extent they have, saying “we should have more Tube trains running” so passengers can travel with a safe distance between each other.

But Mr Khan said services have had to be reduced because nearly a third of Transport for London’s staff are off sick or self-isolating, including train drivers and control centre workers. He said: “TFL will do everything possible to continue safely running a basic service for key workers, including our amazing NHS staff, but if the number of TFL staff off sick or self-isolating continues to rise [then] we will have no choice but to reduce services further.”

He added: “Too many of the people using TFL services at the busiest times work in construction. I repeat my call on the Government to ban non-safety construction work during this period.”

Robert Jenrick, the Communities Secretary, insisted construction workers could continue to go to work amid the crisis if social distancing and other safety precautions could be met.