LONDON -- For many commuters, Oxford Circus must have felt like the seventh circle of hell Wednesday evening shortly before a 24-hour strike shut down Tubes until Friday morning.
Photos posted to social networks showed people trying to pile into the station at rush hour to get on the final London Underground services before the planned stoppage got underway.
The station had to be temporarily closed because of the volume of people trying to access to it. Transport for London said it was being opened and closed intermittently to avoid overcrowding on the platforms.
Here are some of the scenes from outside the station:
What tube strike? pic.twitter.com/F2NF2RT21y— cecily hania mullins (@cecilyhania) July 8, 2015
#oxfordcircus #tfl #transportforlondon #tubestrike #centralline #victorialine #oxfordstreet A photo posted by @cynthia_soneghet on Jul 8, 2015 at 10:34am PDT
#tubestrike A photo posted by Mimi Hammad (@mimmyhammad) on Jul 8, 2015 at 10:43am PDT
Hope you all have your walking boots on! #dontevenbother A photo posted by @rhydianhealy on Jul 8, 2015 at 9:31am PDT
#London #oxfordcircus #tube #closed #oxfordst #regentst #bus #walk #enjoy #goodmoments A photo posted by Marta (@martafernar) on Jul 8, 2015 at 9:30am PDT
Hello on water is Oxford Circus run pic.twitter.com/LFFFVVh2O8— Eggs Florentine (@FloEastoe) July 8, 2015
These guys still think they can get on....wishful thinking perhaps... #tubestrike #tubestrike2015 A photo posted by C. Alex de Freitas (@imaginingthecity) on Jul 8, 2015 at 9:32am PDT
Nightmare has begun...The tube is on a STRIKE A photo posted by Lina Abdullah (@lina_dalby) on Jul 8, 2015 at 10:19am PDT
Everyone in #london has to suffer because of moaning train drivers....we all want more money and less hours you bunch of morons #tfl #trainstrike #strike #train #queue #oxfordcircus #tube A photo posted by Scott Heavey (@skosh23) on Jul 8, 2015 at 10:14am PDT
Nearby, Holborn station wasn't much better.
Holborn right now. #tubestrike A photo posted by love_elana (@love_elana) on Jul 8, 2015 at 9:18am PDT
It's going to take me forever to get home #tube #strike A photo posted by Robyn (@robyn_blythe) on Jul 8, 2015 at 9:17am PDT
But for one person there was a silver lining.
Oh yeah, off early today and work from home tomorrow. #tubestrike #london #uk A photo posted by Caroline Li (@carolineyeeli) on Jul 8, 2015 at 10:33am PDT