London Tube strike disruption
- Tube drivers staged a 24‑hour strike that halted a key Underground line and caused widespread delays across London. - The action is part of strikes affecting April, May and June, with knock‑on effects for Overground, trains and buses. - Commuters and visitors were warned to expect major disruption for weeks, complicating travel plans into and within the city (nytimes.com) (independent.co.uk).
London’s Underground entered a week of disruption after Tube drivers began a 24-hour strike at noon on Tuesday, April 21, with another walkout due at noon on Thursday, April 23. (tfl.gov.uk) Transport for London said the strike affects the whole Tube network, with no service expected on the Piccadilly and Circle lines, no Metropolitan line service between Baker Street and Aldgate, and no Central line service between White City and Liverpool Street. (tfl.gov.uk) TfL said trains that do run are less frequent, finish early on strike days, and start late the following mornings, with no service expected before 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 22, and Friday, April 24. (tfl.gov.uk) The stoppages are being led by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union in a dispute over working patterns for drivers. TfL said it has been trying to introduce a four-day week pilot for train operators on the Bakerloo line, while the union said managers were moving to impose a compressed schedule. (tfl.gov.uk) (rmt.org.uk) This week’s action is only the first round. TfL lists four more 24-hour strikes from May 19-20, May 21-22, June 16-17 and June 18-19, with disruption expected to spill into afternoons and evenings on each set of dates. (tfl.gov.uk) TfL said the Elizabeth line, Docklands Light Railway, London Overground and trams are running normally during the Tube walkouts, but those services are expected to be much busier than usual. The agency also said most buses are running normally, though seven Stagecoach routes in east London face a separate strike from 5 a.m. on Friday, April 24, to 5 a.m. on Saturday, April 25. (tfl.gov.uk 1) (tfl.gov.uk 2) Sky News reported that Unite members who work as bus station and network traffic controllers are also due to walk out from Thursday to Saturday, adding pressure on surface transport as Tube riders look for alternatives. (news.sky.com) TfL has urged passengers to check routes daily on its journey planner and said service on Tuesday and Thursday should be broadly normal until mid-morning before winding down ahead of the noon stoppages. For London commuters and visitors, that means the hardest journeys are likely to cluster around the evening rush on strike days and the morning rush after them. (tfl.gov.uk 1) (tfl.gov.uk 2)
