When are London Tube strikes taking place this week and which lines are affected?

Two 24-hour cylinder strikes will be held this week as last-ditch talks to reach an agreement in the long-running dispute over working hours have failed.

It was confirmed on Monday afternoon that talks between the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) and Transport for London (TfL) had failed to resolve the dispute on Monday.

It means union members will walk away from their jobs on Tuesday and Thursday, in a move that will cause major disruption to travel in the capital.

The strikes were in response to issues including the new four-day week, which the union said its members opposed. Drivers’ union Aslef accepted the new regulations.

Claire Mann, chief operating officer of Transport for London (TfL), said: “We still believe the points they raise can be resolved in a timely manner through further discussions and we continue to speak to representatives of the union to find a way to avoid disruption to London.”

TfL advised passengers to check whether the strike was continuing before travelling.

A union spokesman said: “Our members have raised serious concerns about fatigue, longer shifts, reduced flexibility and the impact these proposals could have on a safety-critical role.”

The RMT was supposed to be out for 24 hours on the afternoon of Tuesday 19 May and again on Thursday 21 May, but the action was canceled at the last minute.

Strikes planned for 16 and 18 June were also canceled, but the union announced new, earlier 24-hour strike dates of 2 and 4 June if the dispute was not resolved.

TfL’s chief operating officer Claire Mann said the four-day working week proposals would allow 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?

With the change of June dates, the new strike dates will be as follows:

What time will the metro close and reopen?

The planned strike action will take down significant parts of the network for two days, each for 24 hours or for its entirety.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, passengers can expect almost no service before 6.30am or after 9pm. There will be serious disruptions in the morning, noon and evening.

Which Metro lines will be affected?

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

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.