Tube drivers to stage two 24-hour strikes over TfL working week plan

Tube passengers face two 24-hour walkouts this week as RMT members begin striking at 12:00 midday on Tuesday 21 April and again at 12:00 midday on Thursday 23 April, a timetable that will drag the disruption straight into the afternoon and evening rush rather than confining it to the overnight hours.

That timing matters. A midday strike catches workers already in the city, cuts across school pick-ups and after-school travel, and forces businesses in central London to absorb a sudden loss of staff movement just as the working day is building. Transport for London has warned that even when each stoppage formally ends at 12:00 the next day, journeys will remain badly affected into the afternoons and evenings, with some service on most Underground lines but severe gaps across the network.

The most exposed parts of the Tube are clear. TfL expects no service on the Piccadilly and Circle lines, no Metropolitan line trains between Baker Street and Aldgate, and no Central line service between White City and Liverpool Street. Those closures will place pressure on key interchange points including Baker Street, Aldgate, White City and Liverpool Street, while other lines will be running unevenly and may not offer reliable cross-London connections. TfL is telling passengers to check before they travel and to expect a very different service pattern from line to line.

Other parts of the transport network will be open, but under strain. The Elizabeth line, Docklands Light Railway, London Overground and trams are due to run normally, though TfL expects them to be very busy as Tube users switch routes. The vast majority of buses will also operate as usual, but seven Stagecoach bus routes will face separate strike action from 05:00 on Friday 24 April until 05:00 on Saturday 25 April, adding another layer of pressure to a capital already heading into the London Marathon weekend.

The dispute centres on TfL’s proposal for a four-day working week for train operators. TfL says it put the plan to unions in March 2025 and has discussed a pilot for Bakerloo line drivers, arguing that the change would improve reliability and flexibility, align Tube working patterns with other train operating companies and cost nothing extra. The RMT, led by general secretary Eddie Dempsey, says TfL has failed to negotiate in good faith and that members want a settlement, not a repeat of rolling strike action.

TfL says this is the first in a series of planned strikes between April and June, a warning that London’s transport network may face repeated disruption unless the labour dispute over working patterns is resolved.