It’s dreaded news for any commuter in London but yes, it looks as though there will indeed be a 24-hour Tube strike from Sunday night. Here’s everything you need to know to get you through.
Why is it happening?
Thousands of workers are striking in a dispute over jobs and ticket office closures. London Underground made a last-minute offer on Saturday to try to avert the 24-hour walkout by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union and the Transport Salaried Staff’s Association (TSSA).
The TSSA said it would consider the offer before deciding today whether to call off the strike. But the RMT, which has many more members on the Tube, made it clear it was pressing ahead with the stoppage.
The RMT said more than 800 jobs had been axed under the so-called Fit For The Future programme, adding that the London Underground was only offering to reinstate 150. The RMT also said that LU was refusing to reopen any of the closed ticket offices.
So when’s it happening?
From Sunday 8 at 6pm for 24 hours until Monday 9 at 6pm.
Where will be affected?
The whole of the Victoria line will be closed, as well as the Waterloo & City and the Piccadilly line will only be serving Heathrow terminals 4 & 5. There will be limited service on District, Hammersmith and City and Circle lines, with trains not stopping at all stations.
All Zone 1 stations will be closed within the Circle line boundary, and there will be no tube interchange at major stations like Kings Cross and London Bridge.
What should you do?
TfL advises people to end all journeys on Sunday by 6pm. It’s worthwhile having a look at your alternate routes (whether it’s buses, walking, or teleporting) if you need to get into work tomorrow morning. Be sure to leave a lot of time, as it’s likely to be travel chaos across the capital.
Now, time to pump up those tyres on our bikes…
