Commuters in London are facing further travel misery on Thursday as the second major Tube strike in a week got underway, bringing disruption to most services in the capital.
Londoners have been warned of severe delays and cancellations across 10 lines in the capital.
Sadiq Khan had urged RMT bosses to return to the negotiating table before the second 24-hour walkout began at midnight.
Talks between Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) and Transport for London (TfL) on Monday failed to resolve the long-running dispute over working hours. Members of the union walked out on Tuesday and did so again on Thursday.
Sir Sadiq had urged the union to call off Thursday’s strike to prevent further travel chaos.
“The workers on strike lose a day’s salary, TfL loses revenue, businesses are losing their customers, people who have hospital appointments can’t get to them. It is a massive inconvenience,” he added.
The strikes are in response to issues including a new four-day week which the union says its members oppose. The drivers’ union Aslef has accepted the new arrangements.
Key Points
- Several lines completely suspended
- London Mayor says RMT and TfL should return to the 'negotiating table'
- MP blames London Mayor for RMT strikes
- Which Tube lines will be affected?
The 'devastating impact' Tube strikes are having on businesses
10:34 , Harriette Boucher
Hospitality workers in the capital have seen a drop in footfall as customers are forced to work from home due to the strikes.
Bryony Gooch spoke to workers and shop owners in April to hear how the strikes were affecting their business:
Businesses warn tube strikes will cost ‘tens of thousands’ in hit to London economy
In pictures: Tube strikes impact journeys across London for second day this week Impact Commuter Journeys Across London For A Second Day
10:27 , Harriette Boucher
Tube strikes could cost economy more than £130M
10:05 , Harriette Boucher
This week’s Tube strikes could cost the UK economy more than £130 million.
The forecast, from the Centre for Economics and Business Research, is based on estimates for the number of lost working days amongst those that cannot work from home in the capital.
However, the business consultancy says the true cost is likely to be higher.
“These figures only capture the direct costs of lost days for those who need to use the tube to be able to work.
“The true economic hit is likely to be significantly higher once indirect effects are considered. Businesses in the capital are likely to face weaker footfall on strike days, weighing on revenues.
“Furthermore, other transport measures may be stretched beyond capacity as commuters seek alternative routes into work. This greater congestion could exacerbate strike-related delays across the city, reducing productivity even for workers who are able to travel in.
“That said, the rise in popularity of e-bikes and other alternative modes of transportation may help to mitigate these costs, providing a new means of reaching the workplace on strike days. While these effects cannot be quantified as of yet, data suggests that e-bike usage rose significantly during the tube strikes in September 2025.”
How much disruption could commuters face on Thursday?
09:44 , Harriette Boucher
Commuters have been been warned of severe disruption across the network, with 10 lines facing delays and cancellations.
No service is expected on the Circle line, the Piccadilly line, the Metropolitan line between Baker Street and Aldgate, and the Central line between White City and Liverpool Street.
Service levels will vary on other lines.
TfL said services will start late and finish early and customers should complete their journeys before 9pm on both days.
The Elizabeth Line, DLR, London Overground, and buses and trams will be busier than normal.
Warning issued for commuters heading to Heathrow
09:26 , Harriette Boucher
In pictures: Commuters hit by further disruption amid Thursday's strikes
09:20 , Harriette Boucher
No strike action currently planned for summer
09:11 , Harriette Boucher
No further strike action is currently planned for summer, the union representing Tube workers has said.
RMT and TfL hope to reach an agreement at talks next week.
Jared Wood, RMT’S London transport regional organiser, said the union “will try and make progress”.
It comes after TfL and RMT ended talks on Monday without any resolution.
Vote: Do you support the strikes?
08:57 , Harriette Boucher
Do you support the industrial action, or do you think the strikes are unjustified?
Vote in our poll below:
Union to hold further talks with London Underground next week
08:30 , Harriette Boucher
The union representing Tube workers will meet with London Underground for further talks next week to try and resolve the dispute.
Jared Wood, RMT’S London transport regional organiser, said the union “will try and make progress”.
He told BBC Radio London: “We will continue to say to them, look, if you can lift the threat of these things being imposed on people, and agree to talk about the terms of the new arrangements you want to bring in, then we can have some constructive discussions hopefully.”
TfL and RMT met for five hours on Monday, with the assistance of the conciliation service Acas, but the talks ended without any resolution.
South Western Railway services to be busier than normal due to strikes
08:19 , Harriette Boucher
What impact did Tuesday's strikes have?
08:10 , Harriette Boucher
Tube strikes on Tuesday caused disruption across several lines.
TfL said it managed to run services on most lines and more than 60 per cent of its drivers went to work across the day.
Oyster and contactless card taps were down by around 10 per cent across the whole day.
Commenting on the impact of Tuesday’s strike, a TfL spokesperson said: “We are grateful to our customers for their patience while they made their journeys in spite of the disruption on our network caused by the RMT’s industrial action.
“We continue to urge the RMT to work with us to resolve their questions on the proposed four-day week and to suspend any future action while that work is completed.”
In pictures: Commuters affected by Tuesday's Tube strikes
08:03 , Harriette Boucher
Why are Tube drivers striking?
07:45 , Harriette Boucher
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) have gone on strike for the second time this week.
The union is disputing Transport for London’s (TfL) plans to introduce a four-day working week, along with changes to the length of shifts and to annual leave.
RMT has said that members are concerned about shift lengths, working time arrangements, transfer and allocation processes, and impacts on fatigue and safety.
TfL has said the proposals for a four-day week are voluntary and designed to improve work-life balance.
The two sides met for five hours on Monday, with the assistance of the conciliation service Acas, but the talks ended without any resolution.
Tube strike: What are my rights as an employee if I can’t get into work?
07:35 , Harriette Boucher
Albert Toth writes:
Large parts of London’s tube network will shut down for two 24-hour periods this week after last-minute talks between rail workers and Transport for London (TfL) failed to produce results.
Commuters may face difficulty getting to work on Tuesday and Thursday, as the strike action will see most London Underground lines severely disrupted or closed on both days.
The talks between Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) and TfL on Monday failed to resolve the dispute. The strikes are in response to issues including a new four-day week which the union says its members oppose. The drivers’ union Aslef has accepted the new arrangements.
Here’s everything that commuters whose working arrangements are affected by the action need to know:
Tube strike: What are my rights as an employee if I can’t get into work?
What services are unaffected today?
07:24 , Harriette Boucher
Several services will be unaffected by the strikes today.
Lines including the Jubilee, DLR, Elizabeth line, Liberty, Lioness, Mildmay, Suffragette, Tram, Weaver, and Windrush won’t be disrupted.
Circle and Waterloo & City lines completely suspended
07:13 , Shweta Sharma
Circle and Waterloo & City lines remain completely suspended as all other lines are working partially or with minor disruptions.
The Bakerloo, Central, Metropolitan and Piccadilly lines remain partly suspended.
Check out TfL's website for more updates.
Bad weather to worsen chaos
07:02 , Shweta Sharma
London commuters face more difficulty today as bad weather threatens to worsen disruption caused by a 24-hour Tube strike.
Weather forecasters are predicting thunderstorms over the capital during today’s strike action.
Thundery showers and a moderate breeze are expected during the day, but the showers will ease by the late evening.
Watch: Severe delays and suspensions across London as 24 hour tube strike begins
07:00 , Rebecca Whittaker
Underground status as services disrupted
06:51 , Shweta Sharma
Several lines completely suspended
06:47 , Shweta Sharma
A number of tube lines have been completely suspended as of 6.30am today.
Services are currently suspended on the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Northern, and Hammersmith & City lines.
Most lines are expected to have some disruptions today.
Transport for London (TfL) has warned that no service is expected on the Circle line, Piccadilly line, and Metropolitan line between Baker Street and Aldgate.
Services will also remain disrupted on the Central line between White City and Liverpool Street.
Passengers are being advised to consider alternative routes.
The Elizabeth line, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and National Rail services are expected to run as normal.
Piccadilly line closures to cause major disruption for Heathrow passengers
06:30 , Shweta Sharma
Major closures on the Piccadilly line this June will force Heathrow passengers to find alternative routes to the airport.
Transport for London is carrying out necessary work to upgrade the Piccadilly line ahead of the new fleet of state-of-the-art trains scheduled to enter passenger service by the end of this year at the earliest.
The £3.4bn investment will offer 10 per cent more capacity, along with wider double doorways for easier boarding, and will be the first deep Tube trains to have air conditioning.
Piccadilly line closures to cause major disruption for Heathrow passengers
What to expect on Thursday?
06:19 , Shweta Sharma
London commuters are being warned to expect severe disruption on Thursday as a 24-hour strike by tube drivers who are members of the RMT union is expected to impact services across the Underground network.
The walkout began past midnight on Thursday and will continue until 11.59pm, with Transport for London advising passengers to plan ahead and consider alternative routes where possible.
Tube services are expected to be heavily reduced throughout the day, with only a limited service operating before 6.30am. Travellers have been advised to complete their journeys by 9pm on Thursday as disruption is expected to continue into the evening.
Transport officials have warned that stations could become busier than usual and that buses, rail services and other alternative transport options may face increased demand as commuters seek ways to avoid disruption on the Underground.
Passengers are being encouraged to check before they travel and allow extra time for journeys throughout Thursday.
When are London Tube strikes taking place this week and which lines are affected?
06:00 , Rebecca Whittaker
When are London Tube strikes taking place this week and which lines are affected?
Recap: London Underground drivers on strike again today
05:59 , Shweta Sharma
London Underground drivers are striking again today, causing fresh disruption for travellers in the capital.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) walked out on Tuesday after last-ditch talks failed to resolve a dispute over a four-day week.
Picket lines will again be mounted outside Tube stations throughout today and the union said it expected the strike to be solidly supported.
The RMT added that talks were expected to resume next week.
The two sides met for five hours on Monday, with the assistance of the conciliation service Acas, but the talks ended without any resolution.
NHS Trust said it would be 'flexible with appointments' during strikes
05:00 , Rebecca Whittaker
Barts NHS Health Trust, one of London's largest, has issued guidance for its patients regarding the tube strikes.
Those attending appointments at its five hospitals are urged to check their travel routes and inform relevant teams if they are delayed.
The trust confirmed it would be “flexible with appointment timings” for those delayed, however patients might experience a wait upon arrival.
All hospitals operated by Barts NHS Health Trust will be open during the strike action.
Patients are encouraged to “plan ahead” and “allow extra time” for their journeys.
Data shows decrease in London footfall on Tuesday
04:00 , Rebecca Whittaker
Data compiled by Virgin Media’s O2 network has found that footfall in several of London’s key areas has been down compared to a normal Tuesday morning.
The City of London is down by 16 per cent, while Westminster is down by 11 per cent. In King’s Cross, footfall was down by 8 per cent, while the West End was down by 6 per cent.
A Virgin Media O2 spokesperson said: “As Tube strikes take place across London, our mobility data shows footfall is down across some of the city's busiest areas, including the City, Westminster and King's Cross.
“The figures provide a real-time snapshot of how London responds when major transport disruption hits. Whether people are working from home, changing their commute or staying closer to where they live, reliable mobile and broadband connectivity plays an increasingly important role in keeping people connected throughout the day.”
Why is there a Tube strike today?
03:00 , Rebecca Whittaker
The main reason for the strikes is the proposed introduction of a 35-hour, four-day week for Tube drivers.
Following strikes in September a pay deal was signed to increase pay by about 3.6 per cent which is above inflation.
Currently the average Tube driver earns about £72,000 a year.
But the pay deal only guaranteed negotiations over working hours and the potential for a four-day week.
Currently drivers work a minimum 35-hour week, which is spread over five days. But TfL wants to compress these hours over four days rather than spread across five.
While TfL believes these new shifts would give drivers more time to rest, RMT says its members are concerned about fatigue from longer shifts.
Vote: Do you support the strikes?
02:00 , Rebecca Whittaker
Do you support the industrial action, or do you think the strikes are unjustified?
Vote in our poll below:
Which Tube lines will be closed?
01:00 , Rebecca Whittaker
The entire London Underground network will be impacted by the strikes.
These are the lines facing total or partial closures on Thursday:
- Circle Line: No service expected across the entire line.
- Piccadilly Line: No service expected across the entire line.
- Central Line: No service between White City and Liverpool Street.
- Metropolitan Line: No service between Baker Street and Aldgate
London Mayor says RMT and TfL should return to the 'negotiating table'
Thursday 4 June 2026 00:00 , Rebecca Whittaker
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has urged RMT bosses to return to the negotiating table as commuters brace for a second 24-hour walkout this week.
“RMT and TfL need to get round the table and sort their differences,” Mayor Khan said on BBC London Radio yesterday.
“Another strike is planned on Thursday and there is still time for RMT to call that off. The workers on strike lose a day’s salary, TfL loses revenue, businesses are losing their customers, people who have hospital appointments can’t get to them. It is a massive inconvenience,” he added.
Data shows TfL use was only down by 10% on Tuesday
Wednesday 3 June 2026 23:00 , Rebecca Whittaker
Oyster and contactless card taps were only down by about 10 per cent on Tuesday’s strike.
A Transport for London (TfL) spokesperson said: “We are grateful to our customers for their patience while they made their journeys yesterday in spite of the disruption on our network caused by the RMT’s industrial action.
“Oyster and contactless card taps were only down by around 10% across the whole day, showing that Londoners and visitors to the city were still able to travel despite the strike action.
“We managed to run services on most lines, with the Jubilee line in particular running almost 90% of normally scheduled kilometres. We also saw that over 60% of drivers came to work across the day, helping millions of people travelling across the city get around as easily as possible.
“We continue to urge the RMT to work with us to resolve their questions on the proposed four-day week and to suspend any future action while that work is completed.”
He said: “Every line, other than the planned closures of the Circle and Waterloo & City lines, ran some service.
“Across the day, over 60% of Tube drivers had turned up to work, meaning TfL was able to run a four-to-six minute service frequency on most lines.
“This morning, up to 10am, usage across the transport network was at 99% of the equivalent day last year, showing that there has been no residual impact from yesterday’s strike action.”
Watch: Severe delays and suspensions across London as 24 hour tube strike begins
Wednesday 3 June 2026 22:00 , Rebecca Whittaker
Tube strike: What are my rights as an employee if I can’t get into work?
Wednesday 3 June 2026 21:00 , Rebecca Whittaker
Here’s everything that commuters whose working arrangements are affected by the action need to know:
Tube strike: What are my rights as an employee if I can’t get into work?
Which Tube lines will be affected?
Wednesday 3 June 2026 20:00 , Rebecca Whittaker
TfL says the strikes will affect the whole Tube network, but a reduced service will still run on most lines with significant disruption.
However, there will be no service on the:
- Piccadilly and Circle lines
- Metropolitan line between Baker Street and Aldgate
- Central line between White City and Liverpool Street
Elizabeth line, DLR, London Overground, and tram services will be running normally on strike days, but are likely to be very busy.
Pictured: Tube strikes on Tuesday caused commuter chaos
Wednesday 3 June 2026 19:00 , Rebecca Whittaker
NHS Trust said it would be 'flexible with appointments' during strikes
Wednesday 3 June 2026 18:00 , Rebecca Whittaker
Barts NHS Health Trust, one of London's largest, has issued guidance for its patients regarding the tube strikes.
Those attending appointments at its five hospitals are urged to check their travel routes and inform relevant teams if they are delayed.
The trust confirmed it would be “flexible with appointment timings” for those delayed, however patients might experience a wait upon arrival.
All hospitals operated by Barts NHS Health Trust will be open during the strike action.
Patients are encouraged to “plan ahead” and “allow extra time” for their journeys.
Data shows TfL use was only down by 10% on Tuesday
Wednesday 3 June 2026 17:30 , Rebecca Whittaker
Oyster and contactless card taps were only down by about 10 per cent on Tuesday’s strike.
Commenting on the impact of Tuesday’s strike, a Transport for London (TfL) spokesperson said: “Oyster and contactless card taps were only down by around 10% across the whole day, showing that Londoners and visitors to the city were still able to travel despite the strike action.
“We managed to run services on most lines, with the Jubilee line in particular running almost 90% of normally scheduled kilometres. We also saw that over 60% of drivers came to work across the day, helping millions of people travelling across the city get around as easily as possible.”
When will second day of London Tube strikes take place this week and which lines are affected?
Wednesday 3 June 2026 17:00 , Rebecca Whittaker
When are London Tube strikes taking place this week and which lines are affected?
