London Underground drivers are striking in a dispute over a four-day working pattern, causing severe disruption to transport across the capital from midday Tuesday. The RMT union has called two 24-hour walkouts, on Tuesday and Thursday, aiming for maximum impact over four days.
Just under half of Tube drivers, who are RMT members, are expected to join the strike, while Aslef members will work as normal. Services on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons will be significantly reduced, with most lines likely to stop by 8pm. On Wednesday and Friday mornings, the first trains are not expected until 7.30am, and afternoon services will be worse than usual.
Some lines will not run at all during the strike periods: the Piccadilly, Waterloo & City and Circle lines will be closed, as will parts of the Metropolitan line (Baker Street to Aldgate) and the Central line (White City to Liverpool Street). The London Overground, national rail, Elizabeth line, DLR and trams will operate as normal but are expected to be extremely busy. Buses will run but may be crowded and delayed.
The dispute centres on a voluntary four-day week offered by Transport for London (TfL), which Aslef supports but the RMT opposes. TfL says the proposal brings London Underground in line with other operators, improving reliability at no extra cost, with no reduction in contractual hours. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey accused TfL of making no concessions, saying its approach “will infuriate our members”.
No last-minute talks are planned, and further strikes on the same pattern are scheduled for May and June if no resolution is reached. TfL advises passengers to consider walking or cycling, noting that cycle and e-bike hires rose significantly during the last Tube strike in September 2025.
