Delays on the Central Line of the London Underground have caused commuter chaos in London this week.

A transformer fault on Monday (March 21) afternoon at Bow substation caused massive delays on the Central line and is still yet to be fixed.

Passengers have been urged to avoid the line where possible, however Transport for London (TfL) has said that disruptions will last until the end of the week.

Engineers reportedly tried to fix the problem on Monday evening, but realised that it was beyond repair and needed to be replaced.

A new replacement transformer is said to be being fitted soon with a TfL spokesperson adding: “We’re working hard to get it tested, up and running so services return to normal as soon as possible but customers are advised to avoid the Central Line in the meantime.”

Frustrated London commuters took to Twitter to complain about the delayed service.

Peter McNaught, London Underground’s operations director for the Central Line, said: “I apologise for the disruption that Central Line customers have experienced.

“Our engineers are working around the clock to fix power supply equipment that developed a fault, which is preventing us from running a full service on the line.

“The issue will be resolved later this week, but until then customers are advised to avoid using the Central Line and use alternative Tube, rail and bus services where they are able to do so.”

'Surging passenger demand'

Rail unions were quick to criticise the delays, saying it's a result of 'hacking back' on staffing and maintenance.

General secretary for RMT, Mick Cash, said: "This morning we have seen the latest spate of breakdowns and failures hitting tube and rail services as the operators continue to try and get away with running trains without adequate investment and staffing against a background of surging passenger demand.

"RMT will continue to fight attempts to hack back on staffing and maintenance and the union will press home the case for public ownership."

The delays come as the Piccadilly line will not be running for 24-hours until 9pm on Thursday (March 23).

Around 400 Tube drivers on the line are staging a mass walkout over claims of 'harassment and bullying' of staff.

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