Tube Strike Cripples London

A transit strike has shut down almost all of London's Underground subway system and has left commuters scrambling for alternate transportation. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union hopes to resolve a pension dispute today, the Times of London reports, but the city remains crippled, with service on 10 of 12 Tube lines suspended.

The first day of the threatened 72-hour strike produced a crush on buses and commuter rail, and police have been distributing street maps to encourage Londoners to walk. The dispute follows last July's collapse of Metronet, the private company that runs much of the Tube. The future of the London Tube's public-private partnership remains uncertain. (More Britain stories.)