Tube commuters hit by delays in safety dispute

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Services on the Circle, Hammersmith & City and District lines were restored after drivers received assurances their trains were safe.

They had earlier refused to drive saying there were problems with the "dead man's handle" - the automatic braking device which stops a train if a driver collapses at the controls.

But assurances were given too late this afternoon to prevent continued delays and disruption during the evening peak. Terry Wilkinson, Tube representative for train drivers' union Aslef, said: "We have had detailed meetings with management and our safety reps are now satisfied that the trains are safe to drive."

Agreement was reached shortly before 3pm but it took London Underground at least two hours to restore services because the day's stoppages had left staff and drivers out of place.

Despite LU's insistence that the stoppage was unnecessary, Aslef had told its drivers to stop work at 5pm yesterday and RMT colleagues followed suit, bringing severe disruption at the height of last night's rush hour followed by more misery today.

A meeting between Aslef union representatives and Tube chiefs lasted for more than two hours before moving to a depot for tests on the braking system.

Terry Wilkinson, Aslef 's representative-for the Tube, said the unions had acted after a driver reported a fault with the dead man's handle.

Union officials said that the train could start without the handle being reset, compromising the system. Emergency inspections then found the fault on four trains. The red, white and blue trains on the three lines were designed more than 30 years ago.

An LU spokesman said: "We are always prepared to discuss safety issues. However, the trains in question have been operating safely for 25 years without incidents of this nature. We see no reason why the public should be inconvenienced."

A Tube source added: "There could be a situation where the dead man's handle would not work as it should, but only if it was deliberately fiddled with. We are not talking here about something which could happen automatically."