31.07.12
Central line fire alert causes Olympic delays
The Central Line, one of the major arteries serving the Olympic Park, has been part-suspended due to a fire alert at Leyton.
Services have been suspended as a precaution between Woodford and Liverpool Street, causing severe delays for the rest of the line.
Travellers have been advised to take different lines or use local buses to travel to Stratford.
The fire was detected by a train driver and is thought to have been caused by a locked axle, TfL reported.
A TfL spokesperson said: “The Central Line is currently suspended between Woodford/Newbury Park and Liverpool Street in both directions due to a train being taken out of service at Leyton after the driver reported smelling smoke.
“This has been investigated and all passengers left the train and station without reported problems.”
With the first weekday evening football at the Olympics, London is expected to be “exceptionally busy” today.
TfL said people were heeding advice to avoid London if possible and added that while Tube journeys were up 4% on Monday compared to normal commuting days, road journeys in London were down by 20%.
The RMT union demanded an urgent investigation into Tube maintenance cuts, saying the likely cause was defective brakes seizing up.
11:30am UPDATE: The Central Line has now reopened
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(Image showing a worn brake on a Central Line train, courtesy RMT)