Tube strikes London: What dates are TfL drivers walking out and what lines will be affected?

London Underground drivers will go on strike this week, meaning serious disruption to travel for passengers and visitors to the capital.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has confirmed that its members will be on leave from work for 24 hours from midday on Tuesday, April 21, and again for 24 hours on Thursday, April 23.

This means the first strike will last from Tuesday to Wednesday and then the second strike will last from Thursday to Friday.

Additional strikes are planned for May and June.

The RMT accused Transport for London (TfL) of trying to introduce a new four-day working week, with chief secretary Eddie Dempsey expressing disappointment that negotiations had stalled.

He said: “We have approached negotiations with TfL in good faith throughout this entire process, but despite our best efforts TfL appear unwilling to make any concessions to avoid strike action.”

TfL’s chief operating officer Claire Mann said the four-day working week proposals allowed the company to “offer train operators an additional day off, while also improving reliability and flexibility at no additional cost by aligning the London Underground with the working patterns of other train operating companies”.

He added: “The changes will be voluntary, there will be no reduction in contract hours and those who wish to maintain the five-day working week will be able to do so.”

TfL has outlined what passengers can expect on strike days, stating that some lines will be more affected than others. Here’s what you need to know:

On what dates are the cylinder strikes?

April

May

June

Will the tube be affected all day?

The planned strike action will take down significant parts of the network for half of two consecutive days, lasting from noon to noon.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, passengers can expect normal service until mid-morning when services will begin to decrease. There will be a serious disruption in all lines starting from noon and working lines will end early. TfL recommends journeys be completed by 8pm.

On Wednesdays and Fridays, metro services will start later and service is not expected before 7.30 in the morning. There will be significant disruption until noon when normal service resumes, but delays are likely.

Will all lines be affected?

TfL said the strikes would affect the entire tube network but the reduced service would continue with significant cuts on most lines.

However, services will not be provided on the following issues:

The Elizabeth line, DLR, London Overground and tram services will operate as normal on strike days, but are likely to be very busy.