London Tube strikes live: Commuters braced for second walkout as Khan urges last-minute talks

Barts NHS Health Trust, one of London’s largest, has issued guidance for its patients regarding the tube strikes.

Those attending appointments at its five hospitals are urged to check their travel routes and inform relevant teams if they are delayed.

The trust confirmed it would be “flexible with appointment timings” for those delayed, however patients might experience a wait upon arrival.

All hospitals operated by Barts NHS Health Trust will be open during the strike action.

Patients are encouraged to “plan ahead” and “allow extra time” for their journeys.

Oyster and contactless card taps were only down by about 10 per cent on Tuesday’s strike.

Commenting on the impact of Tuesday’s strike, a Transport for London (TfL) spokesperson said: “Oyster and contactless card taps were only down by around 10% across the whole day, showing that Londoners and visitors to the city were still able to travel despite the strike action.

“We managed to run services on most lines, with the Jubilee line in particular running almost 90% of normally scheduled kilometres. We also saw that over 60% of drivers came to work across the day, helping millions of people travelling across the city get around as easily as possible.”

The UK’s leading charity for sight loss said the strikes raised additional challenges for people with vision impairment.

Guide Dogs raised concerns over the danger posed by e-bikes, particularly when parked incorrectly or in large groups.

Clive Wood, of Guide Dogs, said the strikes created additional challenges for people with a vision impairment, as changes to usual routes and travel patterns make getting around more difficult.

He said: “Tube closures can lead to increased traffic, busier pavements, and more crowded public spaces and buses.”

He said many e-bikes and scooters were poorly parked and blocked pavements, posing risks for pedestrians with sight loss.

“For some, these factors may make journeys feel unpredictable or unsafe, and may lead them to avoid travelling altogether, limiting their independence,” he added.

“We’re asking commuters to remember that while trains may stop, the need for accessibility doesn’t. A small act like moving a hire bike or giving up a space or a seat can be the difference between a safe journey and a dangerous one for a person with sight loss.”

Conservative MP is blaming Sadiq Khan for the RMT strikes after he promised “zero” days of strike action.

Shadow Minister for London Gareth Bacon, MP for Orpington, said: “Once again, Londoners are being held to ransom because of Sadiq Khan’s abject failure to stand up to the militant unions.

“He promised zero days of strikes on his watch, yet, like so many of the promises he made to get elected, he has spectacularly failed to deliver.

“As usual, the Mayor’s silence is deafening. Londoners deserve to know what he is doing to bring this strike action to an end once and for all.”

TfL says the strikes will affect the whole Tube network, but a reduced service will still run on most lines with significant disruption.

However, there will be no service on the:

• Piccadilly and Circle lines
• Metropolitan line between Baker Street and Aldgate
• Central line between White City and Liverpool Street

Elizabeth line, DLR, London Overground, and tram services will be running normally on strike days, but are likely to be very busy.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) walked out on Tuesday and will strike again on Thursday in a dispute over a four-day week.

The union says it expects fresh talks to be held next week in a bid to resolve the row.

The planned strike action will take significant parts of the network out of action for two days, lasting 24 hours – or the entirety– of each of them.

On Thursday, travellers can expect virtually no service before 6.30am, or after 9pm. There will be significant disruption in the morning, afternoon and evening.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has urged RMT bosses to return to the negotiating table as commuters brace for a second 24-hour walkout this week.

“RMT and TfL need to get round the table and sort their differences,” Mayor Khan said on BBC London Radio yesterday.

“Another strike is planned on Thursday and there is still time for RMT to call that off. The workers on strike lose a day’s salary, TfL loses revenue, businesses are losing their customers, people who have hospital appointments can’t get to them. It is a massive inconvenience,” he added.