London Tube strike returns

London commuters are set to face major travel disruption next week as Underground drivers stage a fresh round of strike action across four days.

The walkouts, organised by the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), follow similar strikes held last month and are expected to affect several major Tube lines.

When Are the Strikes?

The first 24-hour strike will begin at midday on Tuesday, 19 May, followed by a second strike starting at noon on Thursday, 21 May. Although each action officially lasts one day, Transport for London (TfL) has warned that disruption is likely to continue into the following mornings and evenings.

Expected Service Disruptions

Tuesday 19 May and Thursday 21 May

• Morning services are expected to operate normally until mid-morning.
• From late morning, some routes will begin to experience reduced services.
• After midday, disruption will spread across affected lines, with some trains finishing earlier than usual.

Wednesday 20 May and Friday 22 May

• Severe disruption is expected during the morning, with delayed starts on several lines.
• Services should gradually recover throughout the afternoon.
• TfL expects normal service to resume by the evening.

Passengers are being advised to check routes in advance using TfL’s journey planner and live travel updates.

Which Tube Lines Will Be Affected?

TfL says no service is expected on:

• The Piccadilly and Circle lines
• The Metropolitan line between Baker Street and Aldgate
• The Central line between White City and Liverpool Street

Other Underground lines are expected to continue operating normally.

Meanwhile, buses, the Elizabeth line, DLR, London Overground and tram services will continue running, although significantly higher passenger numbers are expected.

More Industrial Action Ahead

Additional disruption is also expected on London’s bus network. Workers at a Stagecoach garage in Bow, east London, are due to strike from 5am on Friday, 15 May, until 5am the following day.

The affected bus routes are:
8, 25, 205, 425, N8, N25 and N205.

Further Tube strikes are already planned for 16 and 18 June if ongoing negotiations fail to produce an agreement. These strikes are expected to mirror the May action and impact the same sections of the network.

Why Are Drivers Striking?

The dispute centres on TfL’s proposed introduction of a four-day working week for drivers. The RMT has criticised the plan, calling it “fake” and arguing that it does not adequately address workers’ concerns.

The union had temporarily suspended earlier strike plans after talks with TfL began, but later accused management of reversing its position during negotiations.

RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said the union entered discussions “in good faith” but claimed TfL had failed to offer meaningful compromises.

TfL chief operating officer Claire Mann defended the proposal, saying it would give drivers an extra day off while keeping contractual hours unchanged.

According to TfL, participation in the new schedule would be voluntary, and drivers who prefer a traditional five-day week would still be able to keep it.