There’s a tube strike coming up next week, folks! By now, most of us have found ways to navigate around them(or at least use it as an excuse to stay home), but the strikes can still catch even the most experienced Londoner unawares at times. With the strike running from July 23 – 28 (with the exception of July 24) here’s all the info you need to know, and how to navigate your way across London Town:
Which services are affected by the strike?
With both RMT and Aslef striking, the industrial action will impact the entire Tube network in some way across the seven days. There will be considerable disruption, or complete disruption, for four of those days.
According to TfL, the impact of the strike will be as follows:
- Sunday, July 23: Tube services will close early.
- Monday, 24 July: Good service to resume by early morning.
- Tuesday, July 25: Considerable (possibly complete) disruption to Tube services.
- Wednesday, July 26: No Tube service. No Night Tube.
- Thursday, July 27: Considerable (possibly complete) disruption to Tube services.
- Friday, July 28: No Tube service. No Night Tube.
- Saturday, July 29: Tube services to resume later than normal, with good service expected by midday.
Commuters are advised to plan ahead, check line statuses, and allow extra time for travel. But if you can work from home – we reckon that might be the best bet!
Why is there a strike?
Both RMT and Aslef are striking amidst a long-running dispute over pay, working conditions, and job security. The overwhelming support from union members has led to both action short of a strike, and walkouts, from Aslef, in addition to the rail and tube strikes from RMT.
For a more detailed breakdown, read our guide to the July strike action.
Said RMT general secretary, Mick Lynch:
This week of action will shut down the London Underground and show just how important the work of our members is.
Plans by TfL to cut 600 jobs and attack our members pensions are simply unacceptable.
We are aware that Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has had the TfL budget cut.
However, he needs to align himself with our union and his London Underground staff in pushing back against the Tory government, exposing their damaging agenda to a key part of London transport infrastructure.
Are Overground and DLR services affected by the train strike?
There are no strikes planned to impact the DLR or London Overground (including the Night Overground) services. There may, however, be some disruption from station closures in the case of stations that also serve London Underground lines. You can also expect these services to be much busier than usual due to increased demand.
Is the Elizabeth line running?
No strike action is planned for the Elizabeth line, but it may be affected by station closures, and increased usage, as above.
Are the buses running?
Buses are running, but will likely be much busier than usual as strikes push more passengers onto alternative means of transport.
The London tram services and IFS Cloud Cable Car services are also expected to run as normal.
How else can I get around London?
The Santander Cycles are available for hire as usual, although it might be a little trickier than usual to grab a bike as more and more people will be using them. There’s also Dott, HumanForest, Lime Bikes, TIER, and Swapfiets as well as those handy little e-scooters available for hire across London.
How to nab a free bike
Swapfiets are coming to the rescue during the tube strikes, with free bikes to get you where you need to go. They’re offering up the chance for Londoners to enjoy a free Deluxe 7 or Power 1 e-bike between Saturday 22 – Monday 31 July. With the subscription bike services ordinarily valued at £21.90 and £64.90 per month, respectively, it’s a great chance to try out the bikes and solve your transport problem for the week!
Simply sign up here, collect it from the brand’s Spitalfield’s location, and be on your way. As well as being able to use the bikes for nine days, completely free, the deal also comes with all the ordinary perks of a Swapfiets bike. That includes a chain lock from AXA, bike lights, an on-demand maintenance and repair service, and a guarantee that any issues will be sorted with the “bike [being] swapped out for another model in 48 hours or less”.
Even more ways to get around
River boat services – like Uber Boat – will also be running so you can add some river views to your commute if you’d like.
If you’re relying on the power of walking to get around, you can refer to this nifty map, which shows the number of steps between each tube station.
Finally, London’s fleet of black cabs and ride-hailing services (such as Bolt and Uber) are all running, though we suspect there might be some surge pricing happening on the apps as the demand for rides increases. Good luck out there!
Also published on Medium.