Commuters who struggled in during the morning rush-hour faced a difficult journey home on Thursday evening and although the strike ended at 2000BST, the Underground was completely closed down an hour later to ensure the network would be fully operational by Friday.

This strike was far more disruptive than the last one

London Underground

London Underground (LU) said it was confident that all lines would run a full service under a normal timetable when the stations opened in the morning.

All but three Tube lines were closed following a walkout in a row over jobs and safety by members of the Rail Maritime and Transport Union (RMT).

The stoppage, which began at 2000BST on Wednesday, saw nine of the 12 lines closed, with only shuttle services on the Central, District, and Metropolitan lines.

LU had hoped to operate up to 50% of tube services, but only 45 out of a fleet of more than 500 trains were operating.

It is thought to have been hampered by a refusal from members of train drivers' union Aslef to cross picket lines.

An LU spokesman said: "This strike was far more disruptive than the last one because we had a lot of signalling people out this time.

"We closed the entire network down at 2100 on Thursday to ensure we would have a full service from the start of services on Friday."

Stations closed

Of the three lines running, only the Metropolitan line operated through central London during the 24-hour stoppage.

There were long queues for buses and heavy congestion on roads on Thursday, despite warnings to drivers that parking restrictions would not be relaxed in central London.

London Mayor Ken Livingstone, who is backing Transport Commissioner Bob Kiley's decision to take legal action over the government's public private partnership (PPP) plan to break up the London Underground, walked to work on Thursday.

It took him two hours to travel the seven miles from his home in Cricklewood to his office in Westminster.

The Corporation of London said the strike would cost at least Ј100m in lost days' work, production and commerce.

Eurostar hit

Five Eurostar trains have been cancelled because of industrial action by trade unions in France.

There may be further delays and disruption to its services throughout the day, the company added.

The following trains are cancelled: London to Paris 0515; London to Brussels 0550; Paris to London 0637 and 1304; Brussels to London 0857.

Passengers booked on cancelled trains will be accommodated on later services, the company said.