TRANPSORT for London says 40 per cent of trains were running this morning despite widespread closures and severe disruption.

Commuters unable to reach their destinations by tube because of strikes flooded the bus networks leaving many people across the capital struggling to get to work.

The Metropolitan Line was suspended south of Baker Street, while the Jubilee Line was not running between Finchley Road and Stratford.

The Bakerloo Line was the first to go after being shut between Queens Park and Harrow and Wealdstone, while the Piccadilly Line was suspended between Acton Town and Uxbridge this morning.

Out of a total of 500 trains, 194 were operating across all but one line.

Staff are striking over planned cuts to ticket office opening times that could see 800 staff axed.

Mike Brown, managing director of London Underground, said: “We are doing everything possible to keep as many Tube services operating today, and to keep Londoners moving by providing extra buses, river services, and other alternatives.

“Londoners will face some disruption, but the city is not paralysed – and people will still be able to get around. The RMT and TSSA leaderships have chosen to disrupt Londoners for no good reason.

“The safety argument they now deploy – which has never been raised in any formal forum - is completely without foundation. It is simple scaremongering designed to mask their wish to strike.

“Londoners will doubtless find it incredible that the two union leaderships are pursing this action when they have been given cast-iron assurances that the staffing changes we are making come with no compulsory redundancies, that every station that currently has a ticket office will retain one, and that every station will remain staffed at all times.”