Tube strikes – live: London Underground grinds to a halt as TfL staff walk out
Alternative services expected to be extremely busy
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London’s Tube network has been largely out of action during Thursday, as thousands of union members stage a 24-hour walkout due to a dispute over jobs and pensions.
Transport for London (TfL) have said that most Tube lines are suspended due to the RMT and Unite walkout, with just two or three branches of some lines in operation.
Alternative travel is available on buses, the Elizabeth Line and some parts of the London Overground - but travellers are warned these services will be extremely busy.
Knock-on disruption is expected to continue until mid-morning on Friday.
Mick Lynch, RMT general secretary, accused the employers of failing to make compromises. He said: “TfL have missed a golden opportunity to make progress in these negotiations and avoid strike action on Thursday.
“Our members are resolute in their determination to see a just settlement to this jobs and pensions dispute and they will continue their industrial campaign for as long as it takes.”
Further strikes announced for late November
ASLEF – the train drivers’ union – has announced another Saturday strike for 26 November.
Citing “a dispute over pay”, ASLEF says: “negotiators have been engaged in talks with the industry but there has, so far, been no offer on pay”.
Mick Whelan, general secretary, said: “We regret that passengers will be inconvenienced for another day. We don’t want to be taking this action. Withdrawing our labour is always a last resort for a trade union.
“We have come to the table, as we always will, in good faith but while the industry continues to make no offer – due to the dodgy deal they signed with the DfT – we have no choice but to take strike action again.
“They want drivers to take a real terms pay cut. With inflation now well into double figures, train drivers who kept Britain moving through the pandemic are now being expected to work just as hard this year as last year but for less. Most of these drivers have not had an increase in salary since 2019.
“We want the companies – which are making huge profits – to make a proper pay offer so that our members can keep up with the cost of living.”
Which Tube lines are running as rush hour approaches?
Most Tube lines are completely suspended this afternoon.
However, there is a reduced service running on the Central Line: between Hainault - Woodford, Hainault - Liverpool Street, Epping - Leytonstone, White City - Ealing Broadway and North Acton - West Ruislip.
Infrequent trains are running on the District Line between Dagenham East and West Ham, with the rest of the line closed.
The top branches of the Northern Line are seeing some trains: between High Barnet and East Finchley, Finchley Central and Mill Hill East, and Edgware and Golders Green.
There is a good service on the Elizabeth Line, although TfL has warned that it expects the line to be extremely busy. Trains will also not call at stations between Bond Street and Whitechapel before 07:00 and after 22:30 on Thursday.
DLR and tram services are also seeing a good service.
‘Staff consistently outscore other elements of TfL’s performance’ says RMT
The RMT union has shared TfL data showing passenger perceptions of the operator’s service and performance, saying that satisfaction with staff remains high.
“Here’s a fascinating graphic from @TfL in October this year,” posted the RMT to its official Twitter account.
“Passenger satisfaction with @TfL is on a downward trend EXCEPT in relation to their experience of its staff. Staff consistently outscore other elements of @TfL’s performance.”
It posted a graphic showing various aspects of TfL performance being rated by customers from 2021 and into 2022. The highest performing aspect was staff helpfulness and friendliness; the lowest ranked statement was “TfL supports its customers when things go wrong.”
“Yet London Underground is cutting station staff, attacking agreements that control working conditions and working with the government to attack workers’ pensions. Plus it still outsources its cleaners,” wrote the RMT staffer.
Elizabeth line experiences its busiest day – with delays and overcrowding
Tens of thousands of commuters have been sampling London’s Elizabeth line for the first time – as it is the one east-west rail route through the capital that is still working. The new route is not affected by today’s strike.
But disruption is happening, particularly on the leg linking Liverpool Street and Whitechapel with Woolwich and Abbey Wood.
While there are supposed to be trains every seven or eight minutes, some intervals have been as long as 20 minutes – with consequent overcrowding.
This has also led to bunching, with some trains running, almost completely empty, just 90 seconds behind others.
Transport for London insists a “good service” is running on the Elizabeth line, which connects stations in the southeast of the capital with Heathrow airport and Reading in the west.
But it warns: “Elizabeth line services are not calling at stations between Bond Street and Whitechapel after 10.30pm”. This covers the central core of the line.
Jeremy Corbyn shows support to strikers
Labour MPs including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and former Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer John McDonnell have shared their support for the striking Tube workers on social media.
Mr Corbyn tweeted: “Victory to the @RMTunion!” alongside a picture of him holding up an Islington Trades Union Council banner.
Meanwhile, Mr McDonnell said: “Joined RMT picket lines this morning at Hounslow West, Acton & Northfields to support RMT members on strike on London Underground. Strike solid. Solidarity.”
When will Tube strike end?
Although today’s Tube strike is only for 24 hours, as with previous walkouts, London Underground services are likely to be severely impacted into Friday morning.
Transport for London says of 11 November: “Services affected by Thursday’s strikes are expected to return to normal by mid-morning.”
Because Tube trains won’t be in position, it’s expected it will take time for regular services to resume. Commuters are told to check their travel plans ahead of time.
Heavy traffic by Blackwall Tunnel and A4 West London
Pockets of heavy traffic have built up this morning as commuters try to get into and around the capital without using the Tube network.
Ru Roberts, UK country manager at Waze, said:“London commuters will face substantial delays across the capital today, due to the tube strikes and knock-on effects of protests along the M25.
“Our Waze map shows bumper-to-bumper traffic on the A102 in the Blackwall Tunnel area, with speeds as low as 5 mph. Heavy traffic can also be seen on the A4 in West London, with reported speeds of 5 mph.
“We expect disruption to continue for the next 24 hours, so where possible, avoid travelling during peak hours, plan your journey ahead of time and consider a route which may be longer in miles but fewer in cars.”
Londoners post supportive messages despite Tube disruption
Many Londoners have been posting on social media in support of the RMT and Unite members walking out today.
“Final leg of my commute - from Waterloo - will take longer today due to the #TubeStrike. But in the grand scheme of things it’s nothing but a minor inconvenience,” wrote Al McDonald on Twitter.
“Fair play to the @RMTunion for taking action. Their pay and conditions are our pay and conditions. Solidarity.”
“It’s noticeable how few Londoners are moaning about the Tube strike,” wrote another user, Yousef.
“Yes it’s inconvenient. But millions of us support the men & women standing up for their rights & pay. All power to them. They don’t do this lightly or because they want to. Up the Workers.”
Meanwhile, Ryan Perrin wrote: “Rely on the railway and tubes everyday for work, so another strike today is not hugely convenient for me. However, I could not be more behind @RMTunion and what they’re trying to achieve. Keep fighting guys. Up The Workers.”
More disruption in coming weeks
Cancellations on the Underground will continue until Friday morning – and nationwide several more bouts of industrial action will halt rail services in the coming days and weeks.
Transport for London says: “Disruption will continue into the morning of Friday 11 November, with affected services expected to return to a normal service by mid-morning.”
Staff at ScotRail are currently refusing overtime as part of a dispute over pay. ScotRail says: “The action short of a strike will see some daily cancellations, as the operation of ScotRail services requires rest day working and overtime as recruitment continues.”
Members of the RMT union employed by Network Rail at the Thames Valley Signal Centre will strike on Saturday 19 and Monday 21 November – affecting travellers between London, the West of England and South Wales.
Great Western Railway says: “A reduced service will operate between 7.30am and 6.30pm on most parts of the network, and the last trains will be earlier than usual.”
The train drivers’ union, Aslef has withdrawn all non-contractual overtime at LNER on the East Coast main line from Sunday 27 November, in a dispute over terms and conditions .
Mick Whelan, Aslef’s general secretary, said: “The company has shown a complete disregard for the agreements which shape our members’ working lives.”
Warrick Dent, safety and operations director at the state-run train operator, said: “We are focused on running reliable services for our customers.
“We believe that these matters are best resolved between LNER and Aslef through discussion rather than further industrial action which only damages the rail industry.”
Cycle trouble as bike docking stations fill up
With no Tube trains running, many commuters from the inner suburbs of London have switched to Santander Cycles – the capital’s main “rent it here, leave it there” scheme.
But when they arrive in the City of London or the West End, they are waiting around disconsolately trying to find somewhere to dock the bikes.
Unlike other cycle hire systems, which have no limits on capacity, Transport for London’s Santander operation has a limited number of docking spaces – and there are simply no vacancies.
In some locations, such as Waterloo and King’s Cross stations and on the north side of Southwark Bridge, TfL staff are coping with the demand by moving large numbers of bikes out of the docking stands. But significant space is not likely to become available until the evening rush-hour.
The Independent’s Head of Travel, Helen Coffey, visited four docking stations before she was able to find a space for her bike.
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