Urgent safety checks disrupt Metropolitan Line after 'wheel fault'

Urgent safety check are being carried out on Metropolitan Line trains after a fault was found on some of the wheels.

Tube bosses brought in a special timetable to allow staff to check the entire fleet which runs from Uxbridge and Amersham in the west to Aldgate in the east.

Details of the wheel fault, which was found during a routine inspection have not been revealed.

"Safety is our top priority, and as a precautionary measure, we have increased the rate of inspection of these trains to make detailed checks of the entire fleet," Transport for London said in a statement."The timetable changes below will ensure we continue to run as frequent and regular service as possible while inspections take place and the fault is resolved," the statement added.

The changes mean fewer services operating on the line and some services and stations being busier than normal.

During the safety checks, the Metropolitan Line will operate as follows:

• Amersham to Baker StreetEvery 30 minutes in both directions

• Chesham to Baker StreetEvery 30 minutes in both directions

• Uxbridge to AldgateEvery 15 minutes in both directions

• Watford to Baker StreetEvery 15 minutes in both directions

"We have introduced a special timetable on the Metropolitan line to ensure we continue to run as frequent and regular a timetable as possible while inspections take place and our engineers resolve the fault," said Peter McNaught from London Underground.

"We’re sorry that this may lead to some services and stations being busier than normal and advise customers to check before they travel," he added.