Tube services across London were brought to a standstill on Monday after drivers launched a full walkout in a dispute over pay and working conditions, leaving stations closed, buses and overground services overwhelmed and commuters facing a week of travel disruption.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) said members had voted to strike over demands that include a pay increase, a reduction in the working week from 35 to 32 hours and wider travel discounts. Transport for London (TfL) said it had offered a 3.4% pay rise and described a cut in working hours as "unaffordable and impractical." TfL warned that disruption was likely to continue through Friday morning as talks remained deadlocked.
Images from across the capital showed entrances to Underground stations closed and long queues at bus stops and busy mainline stations as commuters sought alternative routes into central London. Transport officials said some replacement services could be so congested that they might be unable to call at stations shared with the Underground.
TfL's director of customer operations for the Tube, Nick Dent, appealed to the union on Friday to call off the action, saying "it is not too late," but the RMT pressed ahead. The union said its members were not seeking "a King's ransom" but wanted measures to reduce fatigue and the health impacts of long-term shift patterns. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said the issues had not been adequately addressed by London Underground management.
The RMT said drivers had sought a boost to pay packets that it described as "near-£70,000," and sought a 75% discount on all rail travel, an assertion the union made alongside complaints that staff travel arrangements remained unresolved. The union also pointed to what it said was a TfL surplus of £166 million last year and a £10 billion annual operating budget to argue that a shorter working week and improved terms were affordable. Those figures were cited by the RMT in statements on the dispute.
TfL rejected the proposed reduction in working hours as unaffordable and impractical and set out its 3.4% pay offer to members. The body advised commuters to expect "extremely busy" alternatives, and warned of ripple effects on the London Overground, Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and bus services. The DLR will also be entirely stopped on Tuesday and Thursday because of a separate dispute, TfL said.
Commuters and businesses expressed frustration on social media about the scale of the disruption and some criticised the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, for his public silence. Crowds were reported at major bus interchanges such as Victoria and at mainline stations where passengers sought replacement rail services.
Travel and transport experts urged those who must travel to plan ahead and monitor real-time updates. Nicky Kelvin, editor-at-large at travel site The Points Guy, advised commuters to consider buses, bicycles and other alternatives and to allow extra time for journeys while monitoring service updates and on-the-ground reports.
RMT representatives were present on picket lines at major central stations, including London Bridge, as the action began. The union said the strike was intended to press LU management to negotiate further on working hours and health concerns related to shift work, and added it did not intend to disrupt small businesses or the travelling public unnecessarily.
The full closure of the Tube marks the first complete shutdown of London Underground services since March 2023, when large-scale industrial action also affected services. The current walkout follows a period of limited strikes last week that left parts of the network operating a reduced service; the fresh, full-scale action has prompted employers and commuters to make contingency plans for the remainder of the week.
TfL has published a "Strike Action Impacts" page on its website with guidance and updates on services, and urged passengers to travel only if necessary. Talks between the RMT and TfL were ongoing, with both sides under pressure to resolve the dispute quickly to avoid further economic and commuter disruption across the capital.