Tube strike London: status of TfL underground train lines today, why staff are striking, how long it will last

Every London Underground line has been affected today during the second Tube strike, the biggest walk out since 2017.

Transport for London (TfL) had warned there would likely be no service on the London Underground on Tuesday and Thursday due to RMT’s strike action.

Staff have walked out until 11.59pm on Thursday night.

Every Tube line is closed completely, except the Central line which running a reduced service from Liverpool Street eastbound and White City westbound.

TfL has asked passengers to work from home if they can, consider alternative modes of transport and leave extra time for essential journeys.

TfL has said that Friday morning will be disrupted as well, with many Tube stations remaining shut.

This is the biggest Tube strike since 2017, when 10 out of the 12 London Underground lines were closed.

Stations across the capital were locked up, and buses were incredibly overcrowded as commuters tried to get to work.

Why are the strikes happening?

The dispute is over plans by Transport for London (TfL) to cut up to 600 station posts, as well as concerns over pay, pensions and working conditions.

TfL described the action as "extremely disappointing" and said no jobs would be lost as part of the proposals.

The RMT Union - which is organising the strikes - said more than 10,000 members working on the Tube were invited to take part in a ballot.

Of those who responded, 94% voted in favour of strike action, the RMT said.

TfL has met with RMT at the conciliation service ACAS twice in the last two weeks, but no progress has been made on avoiding the strike action.

Which TfL London Underground lines are affected?

Thursday’s walk out has caused 11 of the 12 Tube lines to be suspended completely.

This includes the Victoria, Northern, Metropolitan, Circle, District, Bakerloo, Hammersmith & City, Piccadilly, Victoria, Jubilee and Waterloo & City lines.

The Central line is the only London Underground line not completely suspended, and that is closed between Liverpool Street and White City.

Eastbound from Liverpool Street, there is a reduced service to Loughton and Newbury Park via Hainault.

No trains will be calling at Bethnal Green, due to the strike.

Westbound from White City, there will be a reduced service Ealing Broadway and West Ruislip.

When will the London Tube strike end?

The walk outs will last until 11.59pm on Thursday.

However TfL has said strike action is also likely to severely impact services on Friday, particularly in the morning.

On Wednesday, the day after the first strike, many Tube stations remained closed for much of the morning.

TfL has advised customers to travel later, check before they travel and consider whether their journeys are essential.

What alternative transport is there?

Other TfL services, including buses, DLR, London Overground, Trams and TfL Rail, are not affected by the strike action and will be running but will be busier than normal.

DLR trains will not call at Bank due to the strike, but will be calling at Tower Gateway.

Those arriving into London via National Rail stations are encouraged to complete journeys on foot or by using Santander Cycles as buses from London termini will be busier than normal

Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink services will be running, however the company has said services into and around London are expected to be extremely busy on Tuesday and Thursday.

There will be no Great Northern services between Finsbury Park and Moorgate as stations on this route are operated by London Underground.

Some trains will be diverted to and from London Kings Cross, others will only operate north of Finsbury Park.

What is the RMT saying?

RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said: “Our members will be taking strike action next week because a financial crisis at LUL has been deliberately engineered by the Government to drive a cuts’ agenda which would savage jobs, services, safety and threaten their working conditions and‎ pensions.

“The sheer scale of that threat was confirmed in talks yesterday.

“These are the very same transport staff praised as heroes for carrying London through Covid for nearly two years, often at serious personal risk, who now have no option but to strike to defend their livelihoods.

“The politicians need to wake up to the fact that transport staff will not pay the price for this cynically engineered crisis.

“In addition to the strike action RMT is coordinating a campaign of resistance with colleagues from other unions impacted by this threat.

“The union remains available for talks aimed at resolving the dispute.”

What is TfL saying?

Andy Lord, TfL’s chief operating officer, said: “I would ask anyone who needs to use the Tube on March 1 and 3 to check before they make their journey, consider whether they are able to work from home and use alternative modes of transport where possible.

“It’s highly unlikely there will be an Underground service running during the strike action and services are likely to be affected on the mornings of 2 and 4 March too.

“I apologise to customers for this and understand they will be frustrated by this strike action, but urge them not to take it out on those who are trying to help.

“We haven’t proposed any changes to pensions or terms and conditions, and nobody has or will lose their jobs because of the proposals we have set out, so this action is completely unnecessary.

“We know our customers deserve better than this and that is why we’re urging the RMT to talk to us so we can find a resolution to this dispute and call off this action, which is threatening London’s recovery from the pandemic.”

The future of transport

Many Londoners turned to e-scooters or cycling apps to get to work - weaving in and our of traffic.

Free Now - an e-scooter and taxi company - has said the strikes have shown the need for wider transport options across the capital.

A spokesperson said: “The recent London tube strikes highlights again the growing need for a transport network that is truly multi-modal.

“In the chaos of widespread disruption many are finding themselves with limited, if any, alternatives to travel.

“Multi-mobility in a global city like London will give commuters more flexible options to get from A to B.”

“Quick and easy alternatives, such as e-scooters and e-bikes, can offer workers a simple solution to plugging gaps in their interrupted journeys, making quick work of shorter trips and opening up new routes to reach their destinations.”