Tube strike: When is the industrial action due to begin - and how long will it last?

Last minute talks on Monday with the four unions failed

Commuters attempt to board a train at Westminster during the last strike in July

London’s Underground will shut down once again on Wednesday when Tube workers walk out for the second time this summer.

When is it?

Members of four unions are expected to down tools from 4.30pm on Wednesday afternoon. Normal service is expected to resume on Friday.

What lines are affected?

All of them. Like the last Tube strike, the union action is expected to bring the entire Underground network to a halt.

What public transport will still operate?

The London Overground, Docklands Light Railway, Transport for London rail services and tram lines are expected to continue running, although transport bosses have warned customers to expect severe overcrowding. Other rail lines are also expected to be operating as normal.

London buses will also be running, with 250 more vehicles called into service by TfL to tide over the strike.

Who is striking and why?

Four of the main transport unions (Aslef, RMT, TSSA and Unite) are striking over plans for the Night Tube’s implementation on 12 September. The unions maintain that London Underground’s (LU) plans for the service, which will include only a small number of lines, will affect their members’ work life balance and are asking for a pay increase.

Last minute talks on Monday descended into recriminations, with drivers’ union Aslef accusing LU leadership of being “pig-headed” and “completely inflexible”.

"We genuinely regret the disruption this will cause, but the blame for this must rest with the pig-headed determination of the mayor to insist on a September 12 launch of night Tube instead of allowing more time for a negotiated settlement to be reached," officer Finn Brennan claimed.

LU claim their counter offer – presented on Monday – offered staff “reshaped” terms to allow a better work-life balance, but admitted they were unable to increase the pay offer to workers.

How can I avoid the strike?

With difficulty: it is shaping up to be as the last strike in July - the worst in 13 years. Last month, millions of Londoners took to the streets and walked, cycled, or ran into work to avoid the travel chaos.

Although extra buses will be running, as well as Overground and TfL rail services, commuters are being warned to expect severe delays and overcrowding.