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The UK Tube Strike is on, and if you are one of the millions of Londoners who use the Tube daily, you need to prepare a plan. Central London will be severely affected as RMT drivers go on strike on Tuesday, June 2 and Thursday, June 4 2026. All you need to know to make it through the week.
Why Is the UK Tube Strike Happening?
The row is over proposals by Transport for London (TfL) to allow tube drivers to work a four-day week, with the remaining day off, to boost their wages. The RMT union has vigorously objected on the grounds of fatigue, lack of flexibility, shift lengths and safety issues in a safety-critical job, amongst other concerns; the union argues, while TfL says it’s entirely voluntary to ease work-life balance.
No agreement was reached after 11th-hour talks at the ACAS service of the Industrial Relations Act, which involved more than five hours of negotiations on June 1. The RMT said it was a “refusal to engage meaningfully” on the part of TfL, while the official response from TfL said the “bitterly disappointing” strike action was “disgusting and unhelpful”.
In a crucial development, ASLEF-engaged drivers are not participating in the strike, and this means that approximately 50% of tube drivers will continue to work. This will reduce – but not eradicate – the disruption.
Which Tube Lines Are Affected?
Some lines will be affected more by the London Underground Strike than others. Ahead of the strike, here are the things you can expect when travelling to work:
- Piccadilly line: No service
- Circle line: No service
- Metropolitan line: No service between Baker Street and Aldgate.
- Central line: No trains between White City and Liverpool Street
- All other lines: Reduced services, delays and significant crowding
TfL would like to operate about 50% of the tube services, but is warning of “very limited” services before 6.30 am and advises people to try and complete journeys by 9 pm. Services will recover on the mornings of Wednesday 3 June and Friday 5 June with an impact on knock-on services.
What’s Still Running? Your London Workers Travel Guide
The good news is several key services are not affected by the UK Tube Strike:
- Elizabeth line (Lizzy line) — Running normally; good alternative for cross-London travel.
- The Overground (all six lines: Lioness, Weaver, Liberty, Mildmay, Windrush, Suffragette) — Train services are operating as normal, but there is likely to be plenty of crowding.
- DLR (Docklands Light Railway) — Running as normal
- London Buses — These are running as usual and will be even busier and slower as there will be an increased amount of road traffic.
Useful tips for stations:
- King’s Cross / St Pancras — Take Thameslink from London Bridge, Blackfriars or Waterloo East and/or take the Elizabeth line to Farringdon and then Thameslink
- Paddington — Elizabeth line
- Euston — 5 minutes’ walk from King’s Cross and Tottenham Court Road (Elizabeth line)
- Victoria — Best reached by bus via the TfL journey planner
Smart London Commute Tips for Strike Days
The Transport for London Strike will need some planning if you’re heading around London. Follow the steps below to do it:
- Plan journeys using TfL’s Journey Planner before all journeys; the journey planner will update to reflect changes in service.
- Travel outside peak times (early mornings and evening rush)
- Another option is to rent e-bikes — during the April strike, Lime reported a 22% week-on-week increase in trips, while Forest reported an even more dramatic increase of more than 50% in evening rush trips.
- If possible, work from home — business groups have reported that cancelled bookings and changed plans have been noted even when there is an impending strike.
- Allow additional time – even if the lines are busy, they will be delayed due to crowding.
Will There Be More Strikes?
The two dates of strikes, June 2 and 4, took the place of June 16 and 18, previously announced. The earlier strikes were held in April 2026, over two 24-hour periods, beginning at midnight — which were less disruptive than the April walkouts that started in the middle of the day. Both sides are seemingly a long way off from a deal, according to the UK public transport strike pattern.
There has been no official announcement of any further dates, but if negotiations stall, with the depth of the dispute, there is a possibility of more UK Rail and Tube Strikes. But companies around London have already called on both sides to come to a sustainable deal to stop the “damaging uncertainty.
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