Transport for London achieved a huge breakthrough in the Tube dispute when it managed to run services on the Northern line.
Trains began running on the full length of the line, which extends from High Barnet and Edgware in north London to Morden in the south, from 8am on Tuesday.
With the Elizabeth line unaffected by the Tube dispute, this meant that TfL succeeded in opening up key east-west and north-south routes through central London.
TfL will aim to open the Northern line again on Thursday – when, like on Tuesday, Tube drivers will not be part of the walkout.
Sections of other lines could open on Wednesday, depending on staff turnout, but TfL will continue to prioritise keeping the Elizabeth line open after a record one million journeys were made on the “Lizzie line” on Monday.
It came as RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey made his first intervention in the dispute by demanding that London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan invites the union round the negotiating table to get the strike called off.
Mr Dempsey, speaking to media at the TUC conference in Brighton on Tuesday afternoon, said: “He is the chairman of Transport for London. If he invited us to a meeting, we will attend.
“Instead of issuing tweets, he should be inviting us to the table. I don’t give a monkey’s if it’s a pool table, a billiards table or a dinner table.”
Eddie Dempsey says @SadiqKhan must invite the RMT to get round the table to end the Tube strike.
— Ross Lydall (@RossLydall) September 9, 2025
“I don’t give a monkeys if it’s a pool table, a billiards table or a dinner table.” https://t.co/wvOgEWZjZL
On Monday, Sir Sadiq refused to get involved in resolving the dispute, saying there were no “exceptional circumstances” that required his intervention.
TfL sources said efforts would also be made to open parts of other Tube lines on Wednesday and Thursday. However this would depend on which staff turned up for work on each day.
One passenger, Rebecca, 27, who had travelled from Tooting before catching the Northern Line from Goodge Street to Chalk Farm for a site visit to Primrose Hill, told the Standard: “I am actually quite pleased that in the middle of the working day I can jump on the Tube.”
On Tuesday, TfL also managed to run trains on two sections of the Piccadilly line - between Arnos Grove and Cockfosters and Hammersmith and Rayners Lane.
However, Northern line trains were not calling at all stations. When The Standard took a trip on the line on Tuesday morning, announcements told passengers that Angel and King’s Cross St Pancras remained closed.
Euston and Camden Town stations were busy as passengers rushed to take advantage of the unexpected break in the strike.
There were around 40 people on the train when the Standard was on the Tube at Euston and all seats in the carriage were quickly taken.
Camden Town station was similarly busy with around 20 people waiting on the platform.
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The strike, which has been called by the RMT in its bid to move towards a 32-hour, four-day working week for Tube staff, began on Sunday. Its impact is expected to last until Friday morning.
The entire Tube network was closed from Sunday evening and throughout Monday, though TfL did manage to run some shuttle trains on Monday afternoon on sections of the Central, Northern and Metropolitan lines.
Tuesday’s walkout included RMT members who work on the DLR 9Docklands Light Railway). This resulted in the closure of the entire DLR network
Tube drivers who belong to the RMT are due to go back out on strike on Wednesday. The DLR is facing a second day-long strike on Thursday.
Barring a move by the RMT to suspend its walkouts, disruption is expected on the Tube until Friday mid-morning.
On Tuesday, passengers told how the strike had affected their journeys. John Wooley, 57, travelled from Cheltenham and caught the Elizabeth line from Paddington to reach the City.
He said: “I hear the point of view that [TfL staff] actually get fairly well paid. I’m more focused on the impact on everyone coming in and the difficulty for businesses. It’s really disruptive.”
Another Londoner explained he had to cycle from Kensington to Bank, which cost more than the Tube and took a lot longer.
He told The Standard: “It’s chaos out there. They are striking because they want to work less for more money. I think it’s insane and utterly deluded in the modern climate.”
A Romford resident described how it was “chaos” on the Elizabeth line when she travelled into the City of London.
The 58-year-old said there were some arguments erupting on the line. She explained: “People aren’t happy. I think it’s only going to get worse as people usually come in on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.”
Jared Wood, who has been leading the RMT’s negotiations with TfL, said on Tuesday morning that there had been “no contact” from TfL since talks ended on Wednesday last week.
He said the RMT “still hope we can get into discussions with them and find a sensible way forward”.
Mr Wood told The Standard: “I have not heard anything from TfL, which is a shame. They cut talks off last Wednesday, and told us that was their final position.
“But plainly TfL, the mayor, London Underground, they need to get their heads together and talk to us and get it sorted out.”
On Monday afternoon, London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan said he was not prepared to intervene in the dispute because, unlike a previous dispute, there were no “exceptional circumstances”.
Mayor @SadiqKhan’s refusal to intervene to end the London Tube strike is “strange”, says Jared Wood of @RMTunion pic.twitter.com/GrnjkPxZ0a
— Ross Lydall (@RossLydall) September 9, 2025
Asked about the mayor’s reluctance to get involved, Mr Wood said: “It’s a strange position, isn’t it? He is the chair of the Transport for London board. I would have thought that he, in that capacity, and as mayor of London, would want to see this resolved.
“I have seen public comments from Sadiq urging us and London underground to sit down and negotiate. We have tried to do that. We need a bit of help from him.”
He added: “It would strike me as exceptional. [Striking for five days is] not something we do lightly or that we have done before.”
Richard Graham, managing director of KeolisAmey Docklands, which operates the DLR under contract to TfL, said: “We are disappointed that the RMT union has chosen to proceed with strike action despite our continued efforts to reach a reasonable agreement.
“We remain committed to constructive dialogue and urge the union to put our latest pay offer to its members for a vote. It is a good and fair offer.
“We have also offered to provide assurances to the RMT on the job security of their members at KeolisAmey Docklands. The DLR is a growing and expanding network.
“It is disappointing that the RMT have repeatedly rejected our offers on behalf of their membership without consultation. Our colleagues deserve the opportunity to vote on our offer directly.
“We apologise to passengers for any disruption caused by this industrial action. We are doing all we can to minimise the impact and will continue to work with Transport for London to support customer journeys. We advise all customers to check before they travel.”
Tom Page, TfL’s general manager for the DLR, said: “We are disappointed that the RMT has decided to strike on two days this week over pay and conditions.
“We urge the union and our operator, KeolisAmey Docklands, to continue constructive talks to find a resolution and avoid disrupting thousands of our customers’ journeys.”
