Station closures during the latest firefighters' strikes are adding to disruptions on the tube today, at the end of difficult week for commuters.

The Central and Waterloo and City Lines remain closed after the derailment last Saturday, and icy conditions yesterday closed dozens of stations and caused widespread delays.

An LU spokesman told This is Local London just 30 per cent of trains carried de-icing kits, due to the age of many carriages.

The ice can disrupt the flow of power on conductor rails, requiring heating or scraping gear to clear it.

At one stage yesterday morning, 40 stations were closed due to icy platforms or problems with trains running on icy tracks.

Of the 12 tube lines, two were closed due to the derailment, and eight were experiencing delays due to the weather - leaving just two running as normal.

More than 20 stations with deep level lifts were closed from 9am today due to safety concerns during the firefighters' strike.

The stations will remain closed until 9am on Monday.

February 1, 2003 12:00