TfL Oyster card applications reopen after cyber attack days before Tube strikes

Several cars were involved in the crash which closed lanes on the M62 in Greater Manchester and caused delays.

While all lanes have now reopened, both the M60 and M62 continue to have severe delays.

Traffic is still slow after the smash on the eastbound lane between J18 and J19 and due to onlookers on the westbound carriageway, travel analyst Inrix says.

Traffic has ground to a halt outside north Manchester on the M62 after a crash on the eastbound lane.

The smash happened at junction J18 and it is causing delays of around 10 minutes.

Two out of three lanes have been closed.

Stationary or slow-moving traffic is backed up to junction J12 of the M60 near Eccles and on the M61 towards Bolton.

Dramatic footage shows the aftermath of a police chase after three vehicles crashed at an east London roundabout.

Read more about it below.

Gatwick Express trains have been hit by disruption due to a safety inspection on the railway between Haywards Heath and Brighton.

As a result, the line is blocked, causing cancellations and delays of up to 30 minutes on trains to Gatwick Airport until about 11am.

Gatwick Express said: ‘Response teams have been sent to site and will carry out their inspections.

‘Gatwick Express services may be cancelled or amended to terminate and restart back towards London at Gatwick Airport.’

Here are the services Gatwick passengers can use instead of the Express.

• Thameslink services that are running between London Bridge and Brighton
• Tickets are also accepted on the Tube between London Victoria and London Bridge at no extra cost
• Southern services between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport

TfL announced it has now reopened applications for new Oyster photocards for students over 18, 18-25 care leavers and apprentices.

It comes after TfL digital services were paralysed by a cyber attack in early September although transport services were unaffected.

In the aftermath of the attack, TfL said some customer details had been accessed, including names, addresses and some bank details. TfL said it contacted all affected customers.

TfL’s chief technology officer Shashi Verma said that it will now start processing the student concession applications so that ‘other photocard applications can start being processed as quickly as possible.’

In the coming weeks, it plans to accept new applications for 60+ Oyster photocards and by late November applications for 5-10, 11-15 and 16+ Zip Oyster photocards.

If you’ve been forced to pay more for your travel because of photocard issues since the hacking, TfL has promised to issue refunds.

TfL said it plans to refund passengers who paid more than they should have because new photocard applications were unavailable.

Verma explained: ‘Following the recent highly sophisticated cyber security incident, we have been working to restore systems which we had to take offline as part of our mitigations. We’re now pleased that we can restart processing Oyster photocard applications for students and will also work to ensure that other photocard applications can start being processed as quickly as possible.

‘Once customers have successfully applied for a new Oyster photocard, we will also contact them to advise on how to claim for any additional travel costs incurred while the photocard website has been unavailable.’

Have you been affected by the TfL cyber attack? Please contact [email protected].

The M3 remains closed northbound after overnight roadworks did not wrap up on time.

A stretch of the road remains closed eastbound between junction J7 and J6 near Basingstoke, Hampshire.

Traffic is queueing near the closure towards Winchester.

National Highways said: ‘Due to unforeseen circumstances the overnight roadworks on are going to overrun their planned end time of 0600.’

One driver wrote on X, saying the situation was an ‘absolute joke’ after they had sat between J9 and J8 for 40 minutes.

London Northwestern Railway trains face cancellations on the route between Watford Junction and St Albans Abbey after a faulty train.

The issue is expected to last until 7.45am.

Rail replacement road transport is running between the stations instead of the cancelled trains, operated by Lucketts of Watford, National Rail said.

Reckless Tube passengers were caught putting their lives at risk after they were spotted sitting beyond the yellow line at Bethnal Green Underground station.

Two people opted for an unusual and dangerous place to perch themselves.

Footage captured on Thursday shows the pair dangling their feet above the tracks before the other passenger jumps to frolic on the tracks.

A TfL spokesperson told Metro: ‘This is a reckless and illegal thing to do. Not only are trespassers disregarding their own safety, but they are also putting others at risk. 

‘The British Transport Police had been made aware of the incident and is currently investigating.’

Passengers heading to London Victoria from Bognor Regis, West Sussex, have been warned of delays of up to 20 minutes on Southern trains.

Trains between Bognor and Barnham are forced to run slower than usual because of a fault with the signalling system.

The disruption is set to last until 7.15am, National Rail said.

Here is the affected route.

• Between Bognor Regis and Littlehampton / Barnham / Hove / Brighton / London Victoria

SWR trains are also experiencing delays because of a late running freight train in west London.

This is causing disruption to journeys between Chiswick and Hounslow as trains could be cancelled, delayed or revised.

Unfortunately, the issue is not expected to be resolved until 9am.

Make your coffee extra strong and brace for if you’re travelling on the Northern line on the London Underground.

The commuter Tube line is experiencing delays between Camden Town and Morden via Bank southbound only.

This is because of a broken-down engineering train at High Barnet.

Passengers can choose to use their tickets on London Buses instead.

The rest of the line has good service.