Brace yourself for the next round of Tube strikes this week. Thousands of London Underground workers will strike on Wednesday and Friday (October 4 and 6) in a long-running dispute over jobs and conditions, the RMT union has announced.
The industrial action on October 4 coincides with a planned strike by Aslef members and with the end of the Tory party conference in Manchester.
The union is striking in a row over cuts it claims will lead to hundreds of job losses. They also have concerns over higher workloads, more lone working, and increased fatigue.
RMT boss Mick Lynch said: “Station staff have had enough of having their livelihoods threatened by job losses and attacks on their terms and conditions. [...]
“This strike action will lead to the Tube being shut down and we call on Mayor Sadiq Khan to meet us urgently to discuss this matter.”
Find out below how to get around London during the Tube strikes this week.
When are the London Underground strikes?
London Underground workers will strike on Wednesday, October 4 and Friday, October 6.
Commuters are warned that disruption the morning after strike action is also likely.
Public transport on October 4 and 6
Customers are being urged to plan their journey ahead of time.
Trains
The following rail companies will also be affected on October 4 and 6:
- Avanti West Coast
- Chiltern Railways
- c2c
- CrossCountry
- East Midlands Railway
- Greater Anglia
- GTR Great Northern Thameslink
- Great Western Railway
- Island Line
- LNER
- Northern Trains
- Southeastern
- Southern/Gatwick Express
- South Western Railway
- TransPennine Express
- West Midlands Trains
London Overground
The London Overground will be running, but the schedules may be affected, particularly at stations that share both Overground and Underground stops.
Overground trains may also be busier than usual as commuters avoid the underground.
Elizabeth Line
The Elizabeth Line will run as normal outside central London, but trains may not stop at central London stations. Trains may also be busier than usual.
DLR
The DLR may not stop at stations that also have underground stops and services will be busier than usual. Furthermore, the night service on Friday will not stop at Whitechapel nor Canada Water.
Buses
Buses are a convenient substitute during strikes, and the daily maximum fare for pay-as-you-go bus-only travel is restricted to £4.95 — though services will be busier than usual.
Rent a bike
Santander Cycles are available for hire as usual, though there may be less available on the days where both train and Tube travel is limited. There’s also Dott, HumanForest, Lime Bikes, and TIER.
Call a cab
London’s array of black taxis, Uber, and Bolt will also be on hand to help people needing to get to their location.
