Yesterday was one of the semi-regular days of chaos on London’s travel system. A strike by the RMT and the TSSA unions left many stations closed and almost all lines operating a skeleton service. The blank October sky glowered down on us as, in our millions, we battled our way across a suddenly inhospitable city.

On my packed Overground train there was a moment of levity when, in a tunnel between two stations, the driver fired up the intercom to make an announcement.

“As you know there is industrial action on the underground today so we’re a lot busier than usual. To make it easier on everyone, can you please let passengers get off the train before boarding.”

And this is when we were nowhere near a station, in the middle of a tunnel. For a beat there was silence, then a wave of gentle laughter passed through the carriage.

The humourous mood soon lifted. We arrived at Willesden Junction and a near-riot ensued when nearly a thousand people tried to force their way on to the train. I guess they didn’t hear the announcement.