Londoners face fresh travel misery tomorrow as a second round of Tube strikes threatens to bring widespread disruption across the capital.
Drivers belonging to the RMT union will walk out from midnight on Thursday for 24 hours, with reduced services expected across the entire London Underground network.
The Overground, DLR and Elizabeth line will continue to operate, but services are expected to be a lot busier as commuters scramble for alternative routes around the city.
While the weather forecast is looking slightly brighter than earlier this week, those travelling above ground may still need an umbrella.
Forecasters are predicting light showers during the morning rush hour, with temperatures hovering around 15C. Showers are predicted to get heavier as the day progresses, turning heavy and thundery at times.
The latest strike action comes after five hours of last-ditch talks mediated by Acas collapsed on Monday.
The RMT and Transport for London (TfL) remain locked in a dispute over a proposed four-day working week.
RMT argues that the new working conditions deal proposed by TfL is a “fake” four-day week, claiming it amounts to five days' work compressed into four.
TfL has expressed its “disappointment” at the union's decision to press ahead with the strike.
The transport authority has reiterated that the proposed four-day working week is voluntary and that no driver would be forced to accept it.
Drivers in the Aslef union are not taking part in the industrial action, meaning around 60% of Tube drivers are still expected to report for work. As a result, roughly half of the network's usual services are expected to run.
However, passengers are still being warned to expect disruption, with services operating at reduced levels across the network and varying between lines throughout the day.
For Tuesday’s strikes, TfL confirmed usage on the London Underground was down by 41%.
Despite the drop in Tube passenger numbers, figures for buses, the London Overground and the Elizabeth line were up by 5%, 9% and 19% respectively.
No service is expected on the Circle and Piccadilly lines on Thursday, while the Central and Metropolitan lines will be part-suspended.
Services on the Central line will not run between White City and Liverpool Street, while the Metropolitan line will not operate between Baker Street and Aldgate.
Hospitals warned on Tuesday that appointments could be affected, while London's hospitality sector reported a huge drop in footfall as customers made last-minute cancellations to bookings.
Anonymised mobile data from Virgin Media O2 indicated that many people chose to stay at home on Tuesday. Footfall in the City of London fell by 16%, while Westminster recorded an 11% decline compared with a typical Tuesday.
Business chiefs have also condemned the industrial action amid signs that it is being less well supported than previous walkouts.
“For many businesses that rely on people visiting in person, the impact of these strikes will have already been felt through cancelled bookings and people changing their plans,” said Ed Richardson, programme director for transport at BusinessLDN.
“We urge both sides to reach a sustainable agreement to put an end to the damaging uncertainty hanging over businesses and London’s economy.”
The strike action has angered many Londoners, with one commuter accusing the RMT of “holding working people to ransom”.
Speaking to the Standard, one angry commuter said: “They earn a lot of money and are quick to strike over the slightest issue.
“They are holding the working people who rely on the Tube to get to and from work to ransom.
“We suffer, either having to make longer journeys and pay extra money to get to work. I don’t even earn half of what these guys earn and I have to manage.”
TfL is urging passengers to check their routes in advance and to allow extra time for travel while the Tube strikes are on tomorrow.
Passengers are also being advised to complete their journeys by 9pm to avoid being caught out, as services are expected to become limited later in the evening.
There will be a limited service on all lines before 6.30am.
No additional dates have been confirmed by the union, so Thursday’s Tube strikes could be the last for a while.
But the dispute between the two sides has not been resolved, so more strike action is possible.
