WHAT’S RUNNING IN LONDON? Tube and bus strike affecting Friday 19 August

Tube, rail and bus strikes will affect the majority of the transport network on Friday 19 August warns Transport for London (TfL).

Customers are being advised to avoid travelling on the Tube and only travel on the rest of the TfL network if essential.

TfL is urging customers to avoid travelling on the Tube and only travel if essential on the rest of the network on Friday 19 August and until 8am on Saturday 20 August.

Demand for London’s black taxi service is set to spike throughout the action. Taxi marshals will assist travellers at commuter hotspots like mainline train stations.

This is due to planned industrial action by the RMT on London Underground and London Overground on 19 August, as well as by Unite on some London buses in west and southwest London on 19 and 20 August.

RMT strike action on national rail services will also impact services on London Underground, London Overground and the Elizabeth line from 18-21 August. Customers are advised to check before they travel and leave more time for their journeys.

Unite is undertaking strike action on some London bus services on Friday 19 and Saturday 20 August, which will impact routes through west and southwest London and parts of Surrey. In total, 57 routes will not be operating throughout the action and there will be no Night Bus service on affected routes on Friday 19 August and Saturday 20 August, however the remaining 489 bus routes across London will continue to run as scheduled.

Travel advice for the strike action is available at tfl.gov.uk/strikes.

Andy Lord, TfL's Chief Operating Officer, said: "I would like to apologise to our customers for the strike action being carried out by RMT and Unite, which will have a significant impact on the city's transport network. I understand how frustrating these strikes are and I'd like to remind the RMT and Unite that it's not too late to work with us, Arriva Rail London and RATP to find a resolution and avoid the huge disruption this action will cause to people's journeys and to the economy.

"Customers should check before they travel from 18-21 August, as strike action is impacting different modes of transport each day. For 19 August, we are urging our customers to avoid travelling on the Tube and only travel if essential on the rest of the network. We expect little to no service on the Tube until 8:am on Saturday 20 August and alternative travel modes are likely to be busy. Please consider walking and cycling if you need to travel."

How am I going to be affected by the strikes this weekend?

Friday 19 August (London Underground, London Overground and London bus strikes):

Tube, Overground and bus strikes are taking place on Friday 19 August, which will affect the majority of TfL's services. TfL expects severe disruption on all London Underground lines on Friday 19 August, with little to no services throughout the day due to RMT's strike action. There will also be no Night Tube or Night Overground service from Friday evening. Customers are advised to avoid travelling on the Tube and only travel if essential on the rest of the network.

Disruption from the national rail strike on Thursday 18 August will also continue impacting some services into the following morning. Elizabeth line and Overground services will start later than usual on Friday 19 August so customers are advised to avoid travelling on these services before 8am and to check before they travel.

Unite strike action will also impact 57 routes in west and southwest London and parts of Surrey, which will not be operating throughout the day. On affected routes, there will be no Night Bus service on Friday 19 August and Saturday 20 August. If travel cannot be avoided, customers should check alternative routes before they travel and leave additional time for journeys. Walking or cycling may be quicker alternatives for some journeys and planning tools are available to plan walking journeys.

In addition, London Trams will be running a reduced service and DLR services into Bank are likely to only operate between 7am and 6.30pm. Coaches running into and out of Victoria Coach station are expected to be very busy. 

Saturday 20 August (national rail strikes and London bus strikes):

Disruption from the London Underground strike will continue into the morning of Saturday 20 August and customers are advised to avoid making journeys before 8am. Industrial action on 57 west and southwest London bus routes will also continue throughout Saturday 20 August and there will be no Night Bus service on affected routes. In addition, London Trams will be running a reduced service.

Similarly to Thursday, national rail strikes will impact TfL services due to shared track and assets. Customers using national rail services are advised to avoid travel unless absolutely necessary. Services running are expected to be very busy and may not be able to stop at all stations. There will be a reduced service on London Overground between 8am and 6pm and no Night Overground service on Saturday evening. A full Night Tube service is expected to run.

There will be no District line between Wimbledon and Parson's Green or Richmond and Turnham Green before 8am and after 6pm, due to shared tracks with National Rail. There will also be no service on the Bakerloo line before 8am and no service north of Queen's Park throughout the day. There is the potential for disruption due to the strike impacting London Underground staff availability. Customers are advised to plan ahead, check before they travel and leave more time for their journeys.

A full service will run on the central section of the Elizabeth line between 7am and 6pm, with no service before 7am and a reduced train service after 6pm.

Customers connecting with national rail services should check before they travel use TfL's real-time travel tools, such as Journey Planner and TfL Go plan their journeys ahead of time.

Coaches running into and out of Victoria Coach station are expected to be very busy.