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London’s recent, blissfully strike-free period on the tube swiftly came to an end this week, as RMT union members walked out for a total of seven days (five of which caused severe disruption to tube services). The industrial action finished today (Friday September 12), but the lingering effects of it are still being felt in the capital.
RMT staff are striking for a range of reasons, including pay demands, shift patterns and apparent failures to honour previous agreements. The most recent demands to emerge are a 32-hour working week (Underground staff currently work 35 hours per week) and staff discounts on the national rail network.
What’s more is that it wasn’t just the tube that was hit by strikes: DLR workers also walked out as part of a separate dispute.
Worried about getting around London today, immediately after the strikes? Here’s everything you need to know.
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Daily London tube strike summary, Friday September 12
Here’s the London strike lowdown on Friday, September 12.
- London Underground: No service until 8am. Full service resumes from late morning.
- DLR: Normal service expected
- Buses: Normal service expected
- Overground: Normal service expected
- Elizabeth line: Normal service expected
When are the next tube strikes?
London Underground strikes
The most recent strike action started on September 5, and continued through to September 11. Different workers walked out on different days. Here’s the lowdown on who went on strike and when.
- Friday September 5 to Sunday September 7 – depot operational control managers at Ruislip walked out from 6pm on September 5 to 5.59pm on September 7.
- Sunday September 7 – track access controllers, London Underground control centre, power/control and ERU members strike from 12.01am to 11.59pm.
- Monday September 8 – all fleet (except engineering vehicles operations and maintenance and ERU), plus engineering, stations and trains members walk out. Strike from 12.01am to 11.59pm.
- Tuesday September 9 – signallers, service control and ERU members strike between 12.01am and 11.59pm.
- Wednesday September 10 – all fleet (except engineering vehicles operations and maintenance and ERU), plus engineering, stations and trains members walk out from 12.01am to 11.59pm.
- Thursday September 11 – signallers and service Control members strike between 12.01am and 11.59pm.
- Friday September 12 – no strike, but staff and trains need to get back into positions. No services until 8am.
How to get around London during the strikes
When tubes (and the DLR, on some days) are down during strikes, there are other ways of getting around. The Overground network, Elizabeth line, and London trams and buses are all still running this week.
Find TfL’s guide to which services are running below, and see a full guide to navigating the city during the strikes here.
DLR strikes
The DLR – which is a train service, not a tube – has also been hit by strikes this week. The two dates with little-to-no service on the DLR were Tuesday September 9 and Thursday September 11 2025.
How long will the London train strikes last?
The tube strikes lasted a total of one week, while the DLR walk-outs were most impactful on two days.
Which Underground lines be affected by the strikes?
Services on every single line on the London Underground were affected. Although different workers will be walking out on different days, the impact of the strikes will be pretty much the same throughout the week.
- Sunday September 7: Limited service on Underground lines. Journeys should be completed by 6pm
- Monday September 8: No service on Underground lines
- Tuesday September 9: No service on Underground lines OR DLR all day
- Wednesday September 10: No service on Underground lines
- Thursday September 11: No service on Underground lines OR DLR all day
- Friday September 12: No service on Underground lines until 8am. Full service by late morning
Find out how to travel around London during the strikes here.
Why are there new train strikes?
The RMT says that the tube strikes are the result of London Underground management refusing to engage seriously with demands on pay, fatigue management, extreme shift patterns and a reduction in the working week. It also says that management has failed to honour previous agreements made with staff. In a ballot on the upcoming strikes, 57 percent of RMT members backed taking industrial action.
DLR staff are striking over pay and working conditions.
What have union and rail bosses said about the strikes?
RMT General Secretary Eddie Dempsey commented on the latest round of tube strikes: ‘Our members are doing a fantastic job to keep our capital moving and work strenuous shift patterns to make sure Londoners get to their destinations around the clock.
“They are not after a King’s ransom, but fatigue and extreme shift rotations are serious issues impacting on our members health and wellbeing- all of which have not been adequately addressed for years by LU management.
‘Coupled with the fact there are outstanding issues around staff travel arrangements, an atmosphere of distrust has been created, where our members feel like no one is listening to them.
‘RMT will continue to engage LU management with a view to seeking a revised offer in order to reach a negotiated settlement.’
A TfL spokesperson said: ‘We regularly meet with our trade unions to discuss any concerns that they may have, and we recently met with the RMT to discuss some specific points.
‘We are committed to ensuring our colleagues are treated fairly and, as well as offering a 3.4 percent pay increase in our ongoing pay discussions, we have made progress on a number of commitments we have made previously.’
‘We welcome further engagement with our unions about fatigue and rostering across London Underground, but a reduction in the contractual 35-hour working week is neither practical nor affordable.’
Will strikes affect the Eurostar?
Eurostar is not expected to be affected by any strike action.
Will the Elizabeth line be on strike?
No Elizabeth line strikes are currently planned, though the purple service may be much busier than usual during tube strikes. Find out more about using the Lizzie line during the upcoming strike action here.
Is the London Overground on strike?
No action is planned on Overground lines, though the newly-colourful network could be affected by the disruption of tube and DLR strikes. Find out more about the Overground during the strikes here.
How to get to London airports during strikes
Tubes and trains are rarely on strike at the same time, so travellers can usually get the other, non-striking one to the airport. If you plan on using the Piccadilly line to get to Heathrow, you can always use the Elizabeth line or Heathrow Express.
Coaches frequently run from central and outer London areas by the likes of National Express. All airports are also, obvs, all accessible by road – whether you’d like to drive or get a taxi. Expect potentially higher levels of traffic during strike days.
Find out more about how to get to London’s airports during the industrial action here.
How much do TfL tube drivers earn?
According to a recent Freedom of Information request (FOI), in April 2024 the annual salary for a tube operator (AKA driver) was £65,179. The same FOI revealed that more advanced operators earn as much as £75,677 p/a.
How will the strikes impact Coldplay gigs at Wembley Stadium?
Coldplay have rescheduled their final two dates at Wembley Stadium because of the strikes. The band’s final London show is today (September 12), and should be served by a normal tube service.
Will the strikes affect Post Malone at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium?
On Friday Post Malone’s two gigs in north London were postponed because of the strikes. The Tottenham shows were rescheduled to September 20 and 21 – find out more here.
Timeline of previous London tube strikes
Here’s a lowdown of all the tube strikes that have been called in the last few years.
- June 6-7 2022
- June 21-22 2022
- August 19-20 2022
- November 10-11 2022
- November 25 2022
- March 15-18 2023
- January 5-11 2024 (strike called off)
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