Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union voted to reject a five per cent pay offer at the end of 2023.
That means that several London Underground departments are striking on different days throughout the month, as part of a ‘rolling programme’ of industrial action.
Only Tube staff are striking, but the widespread disruption means that buses, the DLR, the Overground, the Elizabeth ine, and even taxis will all be much busier than usual.
Here’s everything you need to know about getting around London during the month’s strikes between January 7 and 12.
Tube
Underground services are expected to finish earlier than usual on January 7, so passengers are advised not to travel after 5.30pm.
You can expect little to no Underground services between January 8 and 11, as two of those days (January 8 and 10) are when the full RMT strike is on, and there are signalling and service-control functions strikes on the other days, resulting in limited services.
On January 12, Tube services will start later than normal, with a close-to-normal service expected by midday, although it may still be busier than usual.
Overground and DLR
While the Overground and DLR lines are not affected by the strikes, they will likely be busier than normal.
TfL advises leaving extra time for your journeys and only travelling if necessary.
Elizabeth Line
Similarly, the Elizabeth line is not as heavily affected by the strikes. However, during the following times, Elizabeth line services will not call at Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street (Low Level), and Whitechapel:
- Monday, January 8: Before 6.30am and after 10.30pm
- Tuesday, January 9: Before 7.30am
- Wednesday, January 10: Before 6.30am and after 10.30pm
- Thursday, January 11: Before 7.30am
Buses
Buses will be unaffected by the strikes but expect them to be very busy. Nonetheless, bus routes around London are likely the most reliable replacement for the Tube.
With traffic likely affected, leave plenty of extra time for your journeys.
Bikes and walking
With public transport services likely busier than usual, TfL recommends considering walking or cycling all or part of your journey.
"Much of Zone 1 is walkable [and] you are never more than 600m from a Santander Cycle hire point in central London," states TfL.
There are also electric scooter rental trials in some London boroughs, as well as bikes, with Santander Cycles costing from £1.65 to rent for 30 minutes, and Lime costing £1 to unlock and 23p per minute to ride.
TfL has posted a number of walking and cycling maps to help guide people through the strikes
Taxis and cars
Taxis and cars will, of course, function as usual. The strikes may mean there is more traffic on the roads, however.
What's more, app-based ride services like Uber and Bolt sometimes employ surge pricing during busy periods, so booking a cab may be more expensive than usual and there's potential for longer wait times.
