The Time Out London blog team

Since last September’s hugely disruptive tube strikes, London’s rail network hasn’t been entirely strike-free, but it hasn’t seen major disruption. Industrial action on the Overground and at the Piccadilly depot caused some bother, but not much – alas, now that period of relative calm is coming to an end.  After a majority of RMT union members voted in favour of action at the start of the month, strikes have been called for the London Underground. Six strikes will take place across 12 days in March, April and May, with the first walk-outs kicking off next week on March 24. The industrial action is in response to what the RMT says is the introduction of a ‘compressed four-day working week’ for tube drivers.  Worried about strikes hitting the capital once again? Here’s everything you need to know. RECOMMENDED:🛤️ When are the next UK-wide train strikes? What you need to know about nationwide industrial action. When are the next London tube strikes? Tube drivers will walk out on the following six occasions, each a 24-hour period (across 12 dates): March 24-25 (12pm to 11.59am) March 26-27 (12pm to 11.59am) April 21-22 (12pm to 11.59am) April 23-24 (12pm to 11.59am) May 19-20 (12pm to 11.59am) May 21-22 (12pm to 11.59am) Which services will be affected by the strikes?  Drivers belonging to ASLEF are not striking, and neither are non-driver RMT union members – meaning that TfL expects the strike impact to be less severe than September.  London tube strikes day-by-day...

Finally, Cutty Sark DLR stations has escalators that work! Anyone who regularly travels to and from Greenwich will know how big a deal that is, and can look forward to the station reopening after a 10-month closure next week.  All four of Cutty Sark station’s old escalators had been regularly breaking down for years. In December 2024, every single one was out of action at the same time, and for five months, commuters had to use the lift or take the 121 steps to and from the platform.  TfL fully shut the station May last year to finally allow for the escalators to be replaced. Since then, travellers have had to use Greenwich station – which is about a 10-minute walk or a short bus ride away. But those shiny new state-of-the-art escalators are now complete, and Cutty Sark DLR station will reopen on Monday March 23, a week earlier than planned.  The station is one of the main access routes into Greenwich town and normally one of the busiest stations in south London (with more than 7.6 million entries and exits a year). It’s a key stop for both commuters and for tourists visiting attractions like the National Maritime Museum, Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich Market and, obviously, Cutty Sark itself.  Each new escalator took 17 weeks to build. Rob Rusz, programme manager for the DLR, said: ‘This has been incredibly difficult. This station was built as a “cut and cover” station, which meant originally the escalators were put in with a crane, and the station was built on top of...

Planning on using Euston station over the Easter bank holiday weekend? Watch out for major disruption. The capital’s 10th-busiest train station will be subject to closures that will impact travellers on the West Coast Main Line (WCML). The WCML runs between London and Glasgow, serving destinations such as Milton Keynes, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh. The line is one of the busiest mixed-use railways in all of Europe. Euston will close from April 3 (Good Friday) through to Wednesday April 8. During this six-day period, all Avanti West Coast or London Northwestern Railway services south of Milton Keynes Central will be replaced by buses. Customers are advised that all trips to the northwest from Euston will likely take longer and be busier, as well as involve either more changes and/or rail replacement buses. On April 4-5 there will also be no service between Preston and Lancaster. And it isn’t just train services out of London that will be impacted. The Lioness Overground line will also be closed on Saturday April 4 and April 5 (Easter Sunday). So, why exactly is Euston closing over the Easter bank holiday? Well, Network Rail has said that ‘a major programme of essential upgrades’ is scheduled for the West Coast Main Line between London and Milton Keynes. In practice, £8.4m of essential track work is set to take place at Willesden and signalling upgrades worth over £7m are coming to (just south of) Leighton Buzzard. Overhead line equipment is being...