credit;PA
Transport for London staff have warned that workers are “dropping like flies” as overcrowding on the network persists.
Pictures of packed tube carriages continue to emerge this week as the country goes into lockdown to stem the spread of coronavirus.
Barry Trimble, a senior nurse, posted yesterday that social distancing is “impossible” on the underground network, calling for more trains to run and more people to stay at home.
The Tube is operating at around 50 per cent of its normal capacity during peak times, a move that has been criticised by Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
But TfL workers are also being adversely affected.
According to BBC reports there are significant levels of staff sickness that could soon get out of control.
A TfL worker wrote: “It’s not just drivers who are sick or isolating.
“It’s station staff, signallers, admin, back office people, controllers, cleaners, all of us.
“Please let people know we’re not immune to this virus and we don’t want to be used in political point scoring!”
A Tube driver said: “We are attacked no matter what we do. Most of us have families and because people who should be in quarantine or practising social distancing aren’t following guidelines we are being exposed to the virus even more. We are dropping like flies.”
Another Tube driver told transport correspondent Tom Edwards: “We have 30 / 80 drivers off and half the managers.
“We are trying our best. We want to do more but we don’t decide the service levels.
“We don’t want to be driving packed trains of non essential workers. [I’m] very upset we are being blamed when we’re putting our families at risk.”
A member of station staff said: “Many are working overtime in dangerous conditions just to keep the stations open. [I’ve] normally no time for Sadiq but the government has gone too far.”
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