Commuters who rely on the London Underground face a travel nightmare this week as the biggest strike since 2017 means there is likely no service today or Thursday.
Thousands of members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union are set to walk out both days, with severe knock-on effects expected on Wednesday and Friday mornings.
Transport for London (TfL) said it expects severe disruption across all Tube lines on strike days, with its website currently showing all lines suspended.
As a result, buses and roads are expected to be busier around the capital as people try to find alternative ways to get to work.
The industrial action is the largest to hit the underground since 2017 when millions of people trying to get to work reported on “mayhem” journeys.
TfL has criticised the latest walk out, saying there are no proposals on pensions or terms and conditions, and nobody has or will lose their jobs because of the proposals it has set out.
A statement reads: "TfL will do all it can to provide as many transport options as possible, but customers are advised to check before they travel, consider if their travel is essential and work from home if possible.
“They should leave more time for journeys and travel at quieter times where possible.”
Picket lines will be mounted outside Tube stations across the capital on Tuesday and Thursday.
One unhappy traveller wrote on Twitter : “Yay Tuesday #TubeStrike no service on any lines at the moment.
“Getting ready for a trek across town… might make it to work by Easter. Thank you Unions.”
Another added: “Not everyone can work from home.
“As someone who’s continued commuting throughout all the pandemic and pays over £200 to commute across London all this is doing is hurting those just needing to get to work.
“My one hour commute is nearly tripling to three hours today. Thanks.”
Despite the disruption, some supported the strike action.
One person said: “Station workers carried on working (not from home) during the pandemic so other essential workers could get to their respected places of work.
“Many TFL workers died or are still suffering from covid. They just want to stay safe and keep customers safe. I support the #tubestrike.”
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: "Our members will be taking strike action because a financial crisis at LU (London Underground) has been deliberately engineered by the Government to drive a cuts agenda which would savage jobs, services, safety and threaten their working conditions and pensions.
"These are the very same transport staff praised as heroes for carrying London through Covid for nearly two years, often at serious personal risk, who now have no option but to strike to defend their livelihoods.
"The politicians need to wake up to the fact that transport staff will not pay the price for this cynically engineered crisis.
"In addition to the strike action, RMT is co-ordinating a campaign of resistance with colleagues from other unions impacted by this threat."
The Government announced a new funding deal for TfL last week, which will run until the end of June.
