London Tube Strike Will Spark Severe Disruptions and Closures Starting Sunday

The London Underground, more lovingly known as the Tube, will not be fully operational over the next week due to a planned strike by Tube workers, meaning both travelers and locals will have to find separate plans to get where they want to go next week.

Members of the RMT (National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers) will strike on different days starting on Jan. 5, causing “severe disruption on the London Underground Network,” according to Transport for London (TFL). The strike is happening because of disputes over pay increases for RMT workers.

According to reports, TFL is offering RMT members a 5% pay increase, which RMT union heads have called a “modest below inflation” offer.

The strikes will start causing impact on the Tube starting on Sunday, Jan. 7, and finishing on the morning of Friday, Jan. 12.

Not all Tube lines will be affected equally, and those that are running, along with DLR, Overground, and National Rail Service, are expected to be busier than normal. Here is a day-to-day schedule of what those in London can expect:

• 7: all services will close early—TFL is telling users to “complete Tube journeys by 5:30 p.m.”
• 8 through Jan. 11: TFL says that “little to no service” is expected to run at all on those four days. “Severe disruption is expected.”
• 12: trains will operate, but will start later than normal. The TFL simply says that “good service expected by midday” on Jan. 12.

Elizabeth Line
The Elizabeth Line will be the only line that will not fully follow the above schedule—it will operate during those days despite the RMT strike, but will not have regular service.  

The Elizabeth Line will not call on Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street (Low Level), and Whitechapel during the below days and times.

• 8: Before 6:30 a.m. and after 10:30 p.m.
• 9: Before 7:30 a.m.
• 10: Before 6:30 a.m. and after 10:30 p.m.
• 11: Before 7:30 a.m.

Other options
Aside from car hire and ride shares like Uber, TFL recommends walking or cycling for that part of the journey instead (it says “much of Zone 1 is walkable) and “you are never more than 600 meters” from a bike hire in central London).

Information on how long it takes to walk between Tube stations can be found on the TFL website, along with a cycling map and separate walking maps of the West End and the City of London. The TFL also has a journey planner that will be updated in real-time for those wanting to check on train operations during the strike period.