London Tube strikes live: Severe delays and suspensions across capital as 24-hour walkout takes effect

Tube strikes are under way across London today, causing disruption for thousands of commuters.

Do you support the industrial action, or do you think the strikes are unjustified?

The Elizabeth line is the latest to be hit by severe delays, causing further misery to commuters.

Yet instead of being affected by strike action, the purple Lizzie lines has been hit with a points failure at Slough.

This has resulted in severe delays between Paddington, Reading, and Heathrow Terminals 4&5.

Good service remains on the rest of the line.

As of 9:45am, a number of Tube lines are currently suspended or partially suspended.

The Bakerloo line is facing severe delays between Queen’s Park and Elephant and Castle, and is part suspended to Harrow and Wealdstone.

The Central line is partially suspended between Liverpool Street and White City, with delays across the rest of the line.

The Circle line and the Waterloo and City lines are completely suspended.

Severe delays are currently on the District, Hammersmith & City, the Piccadilly and the Victoria lines.

The Northern and Metropolitan lines are experiencing minor delays.

Disgruntled Tube passengers have taken to social media to vent their frustration, which has seen several running late to work or missing important meetings.

One woman wrote: “Heading into London today f or a conference and there are tube strikes so I will have to walk to my final destination. That was bad enough but I have also forgotten my umbrella and it’s going to rain!”

Another said: “I don’t see how and why us taxi drivers work during tube strikes, I think we should all go on strike too plz (sic). The traffic is completely unmanageable.”

Others stressed about their commute while studying for their A-Level exams, while another said the most recent round of strikes “will be the death of me”.

The Tube strikes are likely to be “another major setback” for London’s hospitality and night-time economy as the disruption will impact footfall.

It comes as the industry faces mounting economic pressure due to rising operating costs, increased employment costs and the cost-of-living crisis.

Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), said:”Businesses across the capital rely heavily on office workers, commuters, visitors and tourists travelling into central London, and any disruption to the transport network has an immediate and measurable impact on footfall, trade and consumer confidence.

“For many hospitality businesses, particularly independent operators, the loss of customers caused by transport disruption is simply unaffordable in the current economic climate.

He continued: “What is particularly concerning is the prospect of further strike action extending into the remainder of the week and the weekend. Hospitality businesses plan and staff their operations around expected demand, with weekends representing some of the most important trading periods of the week.

“Continued uncertainty not only affects daily revenue but also impacts bookings, events, staffing and the wider visitor economy. London’s hospitality and night-time economy is one of the city’s greatest economic and cultural assets, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs and generating billions of pounds in economic activity. It is also a key part of the visitor experience for both domestic and international tourists.

“We fully recognise the importance of constructive industrial relations, but we urgently call on all parties to reach a resolution.”

With the London Underground inaccessible to a large majority of commuters today, passengers are advised to check before they travel, as other lines are set to be extremely busy.

The services that are running as normal include:

• Elizabeth line
• London Overground
• London buses and trams
• DLR

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “Nobody wants to see strike action – which has a serious impact on Londoners, businesses and commuters.

“The Mayor continues to urge the RMT and TfL to get around the table to resolve this matter, so we can avoid further disruption and keep London moving.”

London Underground drivers are set to strike on Tuesday and Thursday after talks failed to prevent industrial action.

A TfL spokesperson said on Monday: “It is bitterly disappointing that despite five hours of meetings with the RMT at ACAS and repeated assurances that the four-day working week proposals will remain voluntary, RMT has chosen to continue with its disruptive strike action.

“We will do all we can to provide as much service as possible during this action.”

The dispute centres on plans to introduce a voluntary four-day working week with compressed hours, which members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union voted to reject.

However, around half of Tube drivers, including members of Aslef, have accepted the proposal, arguing it offers workers greater flexibility and is the kind of agreement unions should support.

Commuters and other travellers were also hit by disruption to South Western Railway services on Tuesday morning.

The operator said that due to heavy rain flooding the railway between Fulwell and Shepperton all lines were blocked.

Passengers were told that train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled or delayed, with disruption expected until 11am.

Services were also disrupted because of a “precarious” tree between Weybridge and Hersham, in Surrey, which led to some lines towards Surbiton being blocked.