There will be a tube strike tomorrow (Wed 15th March) that is expected to close most of the London Underground with hardly any services able to run.
The strike action is being taken by both the RMT and ASLEF unions, which is why the near total closure of the tube network is expected as it takes out most of the drivers and station staff at the same time across all the tube lines.
Although the strike is only affecting the London Underground, there will be knock on effects to other parts of London’s public transport as well.
The Elizabeth line won’t have any services between Paddington and Abbey Wood/Stratford before 7:30am or after 10:30pm. Services on the Paddington to Heathrow/Reading and Liverpool Street to Shenfield, will operate as normal though.
While other TfL services will operate a normal service, some stations managed by London Underground may be closed due to this strike and DLR, Elizabeth line and London Overground services will not be able to stop at those stations. This may also affect customers changing between services at some stations which are closed.
For example, at Tottenham Court Road, the exit shared with the tube will be closed, but it’s expected that the Dean Street exit which is only used by the Elizabeth line will be able to open.
With the tube mostly closed down, the Elizabeth line and London Overground services will be much busier than normal and queuing systems may be in place. Buses will run as normal but may also be busier than usual.
The day after the tube strike, disruption will continue throughout the morning, with affected tube services starting later than normal. Elizabeth line services operating between Paddington and Abbey Wood/Stratford will also start later than normal.
However, there’s then an unrelated RMT strike on the national rail network on Thursday, and that may affect the Elizabeth line out of Paddington and Liverpool Street where it runs over the mainline railway. It may also affect part of the District line to Richmond and the Bakerloo line past Queen’s Park.
Glynn Barton, TfL’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “Customers should check before they travel and we are advising them to expect very limited or no service on the Tube on Wednesday. The majority of TfL services will be running as normal but may be subject to last minute changes, including non-stopping at some stations shared with London Underground. Disruption should be expected on the Tube network into the morning on Thursday.”
This action on London Underground comes following the Government’s mandated review into TfL’s pensions scheme and despite the fact that no proposals have been tabled on pensions. If any proposal is made in the future, this would require consultation and further work.
The RMT is also campaigning to reverse plans not reduce station staff numbers by around 600 by not filling vacancies as they arise.
