London Underground drivers will drive trains slower in protest against ‘extreme noise levels’.
Passengers will be familiar with the sound of wheels screeching against rails, forcing some to cover their ears while travelling on the Victoria, Central, Northern and Jubilee lines.
But it is drivers who must spent entire shifts exposed to noise the RMT union describes as ‘extremely uncomfortable and distressing for drivers’.
Members voted to take industrial action short of a strike after a recent a rise in volumes, which Transport for London (TfL) confirmed exceeds the legal limit.
The resulting slower speeds below 50mph along the Victoria line will mean fewer, more crowded services on dates that are yet to be confirmed.
Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT, said: ‘The fact that members have voted by a massive majority for action over this matter should alert London Underground to the strength of feeling and act upon in accordingly.
‘If London Underground workers are impacted by these unacceptable noise levels the general public are also being affected by it.’
TfL has urged Victoria line drivers to wear ear defenders until the issue is resolved.
But another union, Aslef, dismissed this as a ‘band-aid approach to the symptoms’, saying it will also ballot members for industrial action if the problem is not fixed.
District organiser Finn Brennan said: ‘This is a problem that would have been avoided if management had acted earlier.
‘But they choose to bury their heads in the sand and ignore the complaints of drivers and union reps.
‘Everyone has the right to a safe working environment and to act to protect their own health and safety. Aslef will always support members who take appropriate steps to stay safe at work.’
Nearly £30million was spent on reducing noise on the London Underground in the last five years.
This includes grinding rails to remove bumps and abrasions.
Despite this, more than 1,300 noise complaints were made between January 2020 and August 2022.
A TfL spokesperson said: ‘We regularly measure noise levels across the Tube network, and recent results identified an increase in the level of noise exposure that Victoria line train operators are exposed to during the course of their shift.
‘We have plans in place to address this through further improvements to the infrastructure along the Victoria line.
‘We are encouraging our trade unions to work with us to fix this issue, so we can avoid unnecessary and disruptive industrial action that will impact Londoners.’
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