Tube strike – latest: London brought to a standstill as TfL workers walk out for 24 hours

A strike by London Underground drivers has brought London’s transport network to a halt.

Overground, DLR, Elizabeth line, buses and trams are running, but are much busier than usual.

Members of the train drivers union Aslef, and the RMT working for London Underground have walked out in a dispute over working arrangements and pensions.

Aslef says the action “will bring the network in the capital to a standstill”.

Geolocation technology company TomTom said that at 7am the average time it took to drive 10km (6.2 miles) in London was two minutes longer than what is usual at that time, at 15 minutes and 27 seconds.

There were 387 traffic jams in the capital stretching for a total of 406km (252.3 miles).

Transport for London (TfL) has said that “little or no service is expected on the tube network.”

Disruption will continue into Thursday (16 March), when a national rail strike involving the RMT will impact services across the country.

Tube trains that do run are likely to be more crowded than usual due to the latest round of national rail strikes involving the RMT, which begins on Thursday and continues on 18 and 30 March plus 1 April.

Because of the national rail strike, TfL says: “Some services may be unable to stop at all stations or run to their normal destination.”

Key points

• London Overground, Elizabeth and DLR lines running but ‘much busier than normal’

• Little or no service on the remainder of the tube network

• Commuters warned not to travel unless necessary

Sadiq Khan rejects comments made by Rishi Sunak that TfL bosses are responsible for industrial action

16:00 , Joanna Whitehead

Sadiq Khan has hit back after the Prime Minister blamed Wednesday’s tube strikes on the “incompetent running of Transport for London (TfL)”.

Speaking during PMQs earlier today (15 March, Rishi Sunak said TfL bosses were responsible for the “misery being inflicted on Londoners” as a consequence of industrial action.

He added that the mayor has received £6 billion in additional funding for transport services, stating: “So for us to be in a situation that we find ourselves in today is simply unacceptable.

In response, the Mayor of London, who is the chair of TfL, said the walkouts were “driven” by conditions around worker pensions attached to a TfL Government bailout deal last year.

“Throughout negotiations I made it clear to ministers that the inclusion of a review into staff’s pensions benefits was unwarranted, and had the potential to lead to industrial action – putting London’s economic recovery at risk,” Mr Khan said.

“TfL have done everything within their powers to avoid strikes going ahead on the tube and will keep working with their unions to avoid further action.”

London traffic milder than anticipated despite London Underground strike

14:49 , Joanna Whitehead

Geolocation technology company TomTom has said traffic in London is lighter than normal, suggesting that many people who usually commute on Wednesdays are working from home instead.

The congestion level - which represents the proportion of additional time needed for journeys compared with free-flow conditions - was 78% at 8am, down from 84% a week earlier.

Currently, there is a good service on Overground, Elizabeth and DLR lines, with all other London Underground services suspended.

Operational services, including trams and buses, are much busier than usual, with queueing systems in place.

TfL has advised people in London to consider walking or cycling part of their journey.

“You are never more than 600m from a Santander Cycle hire point in central London,” they state.

Rishi Sunak attacks ‘incompetent running of TfL’

13:11 , Joanna Whitehead

Prime Minster Rishi Sunak has attacked Transport for London (TfL) as London’s Underground network has ground to a halt following widespread industrial action by members of the RMT and Aslef unions.

Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions, conservative Bob Blackman (Harrow East) asked MrSunak if he would join him in condemning the strikes which he said “have brought misery to the travelling public”, as well as condemning London Mayor Sadiq Khan “for his failure to address this”.

The Prime Minister said: “(Mr Blackman) is absolutely right about the misery being inflicted on Londoners by the incompetent running of TfL.”

He added the mayor has received £6 billion in additional funding for transport services, stating: “So for us to be in a situation that we find ourselves in today is simply unacceptable.”

RMT workers join with junior doctors and teachers for day of strike action

12:42 , Joanna Whitehead

RMT workers have joined with junior doctors and teachers for an unprecedented day of national strike action.

While industrial action by members of the RMT and Aslef unions has brought London’s transport network to a standstill, London Underground workers are far from alone when it comes to today’s mass walkout.

Around half a million junior doctors, teachers, civil servants, lecturers, BBC journalists and Amazon workers are also on strike for better pay, working conditions, job cuts, and redundancy terms.

Pictures shared on social media show union members from different sectors uniting in their demand for change.

Despite the suspension of London’s tube, workers from across the country have braved major travel turmoil to reach the capital for today’s strike action.

Tube strikes see fans selling tickets to London shows due to travel disruption, including Lizzo, Loyle Carner and National Theatre events

12:17 , Joanna Whitehead

As well as disrupting commuter travel across London, tube strikes across the capital are also impinging on cultural and social events.

People are now advertising tickets for sale for events across London on social media, which they are unable to attend due to industrial action.

I have two tickets for sale (sat together) for Standing at the Sky's Edge @NationalTheatre on today,” wrote one Twitter user.

“Tube strikes have blocked me!”

Other events with tickets for sale on social media including Lizzo at the O2, London’s Vault festival, Loyle Carner, Sleeping with Sirens, Newsies, and women’s football fixture Tottenham Hotspurs v Leicester City.

Action Fraud advises those tempted to buy tickets to go through the official channels, such as an official agent or reputable ticket exchange site.

“Should you choose to buy tickets from an individual (for example on eBay or on a social media), never transfer the money directly into their bank account but use a secure payment site such as PayPal.

“Paying for your tickets by credit card will offer increased protection over other payments methods, such as debit card, cash, or money transfer services. Avoid making payments through bank transfer or money transfer services, as the payment may not be recoverable.”

London Underground train drivers ‘absolutely determined’ to fight on, says union leader

11:37 , Joanna Whitehead

London Underground train drivers are “absolutely determined” to fight for their working conditions and pensions, an Aslef representative has said.

Finn Brennan, Aslef district organiser for the London Underground, was speaking at a picket line with union members outside Brixton Underground station on Wednesday morning (15 March).

“The fundamental issue in this dispute is the failure by the government to properly fund Transport for London,” he said.

“Post-pandemic they've been left with a massive hole in their budget, and they're trying to fill that hole by cutting staff numbers, cutting staff working conditions and cutting staff pensions.

“We're happy to discuss and negotiate changes, but our members won't accept change being forced upon them. So what we're looking for from this dispute is TfL to accept that changes have to come about by negotiation and by agreement, not be imposed upon staff.”

Mr Brennan, who has worked for London Underground for 33 years, added: “It's certainly the biggest strike that's taken place since probably the late 1980s or early 90s, and there's really strong support from our members who are absolutely determined to protect their working conditions and their pensions.

“We haven't announced any other action yet, but unless TfL accept that change can only come about by agreement then I think we can expect to see more taking place over a long period of time. Our members are very, very determined.”

London Underground services are currently suspended, with only the Elizabeth, Overground and DLR services operating with a good service.

Commuters struggle to board London buses as London Underground strike continues

11:14 , Joanna Whitehead

Commuters have struggled to board groaning London buses as the London tube strike continues.

Pictures from across the capital show lengthy queues as travellers thwarted by today’s Underground strike have taken to the city’s bus network in a bid to reach their destination.

Transport for London (TfL) has warned passengers to only travel if absolutely necessary.

Travel disruption to continue with national rail strikes scheduled for Thursday 16 and Saturday 18 March

10:45 , Joanna Whitehead

Disruption to London Underground services due to widespread strikes is expected to continue into Thursday (16 March), when major swathes of the national rail network will also be affected by further industrial action.

Members of the RMT union working for 14 train operators are staging more walk-outs in the current round of strikes over pay and working arrangements.

Affected services include:

• Avanti West Coast

• CrossCountry

• East Midlands Railway

• Great Western Railway

• LNER

• TransPennine Express

All the London commuter operators will also be hit:

• c2c

• Greater Anglia

• GTR (Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Southern, Thameslink)

• Southeastern

• South Western Railway

Operators focusing on the Midlands and north of England will also be affected:

• Chiltern Railways

• Northern Trains

• West Midlands Trains

For more information, read Simon Calder’s story on national rail strikes taking place on Thursday and Saturday.

‘Beyond unacceptable’: Crammed commuters packed underground as London strikes impact capital

10:17 , Joanna Whitehead

A picture taken by a commuter at London’s Tottenham Court Road underground station at 8am on Wednesday morning (15 March) shows scores of commuters crammed underground as industrial action across the capital shuts down the London tube network.

One passenger tweeting about his experience wrote: “This is beyond unacceptable @TfL.

“We're told that we can't exit from Tottenham Court Road Station exit and are forced to exit via Dean Street only to be compressed into each other like sardines. How does this make any sense?”

Almost all London tube services are suspended as a result of strike action, although the Elizabeth line, DLR, tram and bus services are operational.

There are currently minor delays on the London Overground network.

Tottenham Court Road is served by the Central, Northern line (Charing Cross branch) and Elizabeth line.

Of these, only the Elizabeth line is running today.

Transport for London (TfL) warned commuters that “disruption should be expected on the tube network” into Thursday morning.

Services that are operating are unextremely oversubscribed.

RMT union boss Mick Lynch says strikes will continue ‘for as long as it takes'

09:49 , Joanna Whitehead

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch has congratulated London underground staff who have chosen to strike today.

Over 10,000 RMT members, along with members of the train drivers union Aslef, have shut down the capital’s transport network today (15 March) in a dispute over working arrangements, job cuts and pensions.

Workers from across London Underground set up picket lines across most major tube stations, ensuring that the London Underground was completely shutdown.

RMT joins several unions taking strike action today across the economy on a variety of industrial matters, including better pay, good working conditions and job security.

The union wrote to London Mayor Sadiq Khan yesterday outlining how job cuts must be halted and that safety of the travelling public was foremost in tube workers minds.

Mick Lynch said: “I congratulate all our London Underground members who have taken part in this strike action today.

“It shows how determined we are to reach a negotiated settlement to this long running dispute.

“Attacks on pensions, conditions and job losses will not be tolerated and the travelling public needs to understand that understaffed and unstaffed stations are unsafe.

“We will continue our industrial campaign for as long as it takes.”

London buses inundated with commuters, while taxi drivers strike gold

09:21 , Joanna Whitehead

According to Transport for London (TfL), the tube handles up to five million passenger journeys a day.

At peak times, there are more than 543 trains whizzing around London.

While many workers across the capital have made plans to work from home, not everyone is so lucky.

Pictures show huge queues of commuters trying to reach their destination on London’s oversubscribed bus services, in the wake of this morning’s strike.

London taxi drivers are also benefiting from the strike, with long queues seen at ranks around the capital.

“Budget day is normally a quiet day for Londons hard pressed cabbies,” wrote one London cabbie.

“But,the London Underground strike will put a smile on their faces!”

Further tube strikes ‘very likely’, says union

08:54 , Joanna Whitehead

Aslef district organiser Finn Brennan confirmed that today’s strike is the first time Aslef have taken action across the Underground since 2015.

He stated that 99% of members voted in favour of the strike.

"It is not a strike about pay, it is not a strike looking for more time off,” he said.

“We simply want TfL to commit to negotiate with us about changes instead of trying to impose changes.

"There is a huge hole in TfL’s budget as a result of the pandemic and they want to fill that by cutting staff numbers, cutting working conditions and crucially cutting staff pensions.

"We have always said we are prepared to negotiate change but, quite understandably and quite rightly, our members are not prepared to pay the price for the hole that has been left in TfL’s budget by the Government’s failure to properly fund public transport in London."

He added that further strikes are "very likely".