'Dust' halts London Tube service » Communities » 24dash.com

A busy Underground railway line which takes thousands of workers to the City of London was suspended today - because of dust.

London Underground apologised to passengers on the Waterloo to City line for the disruption caused to their journey this morning.

A spokesman said there had been weekend engineering works on the line - referred to by commuters as the Drain - which led to dust being left on the platform.

Train drivers could not see properly when the first services began this morning so it was decided to halt trains.

A spokesman said: "Following weekend engineering work the first trains to run on the line experienced a lot of dust, making it difficult for drivers to see properly. We are working to resolve this problem as soon as possible."

Metronet, which is responsible for upgrading and maintaining the line, said in a statement: "As part of its planned operations, Metronet last weekend undertook work to grind the rails in the two tunnels of the Waterloo & City line.

"This work is prudent and responsible and is typically undertaken after completion of a major upgrade. It follows best practice and is designed to ensure that the life of the rail is preserved well into the future.

"As a result of this exercise a lot of dust was created and this has taken some time to remove. We apologise to London Underground and passengers for the suspension of service today."

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