Tube strike 6 to 8 February: Transport for London is putting on more buses and cycle hubs to help commuters moving – but warns everything will be busier than usual
Commuters are being advised to brush up on alternative travel plans ahead of the 48-hour Tube strike scheduled to start this weekend.
Transport for London has confirmed that, if the action goes ahead, the Tube will be heavily disrupted – but not closed – between 9pm on Saturday 6 February and for the whole day on Sunday and Monday.
The strike involves Tube station staff, which means Tube services will be running, but many stations may open late, close early, or may not open at all, the transport body said.
Read more: Now RMT is planning another series of seven Tube strikes
Services on London Overground, the bus network, tram, river and TfL Rail services will run normally, but are likely to be much busier than usual. To make matters worse, there are a number of engineering works taking place this weekend.
Commuters were advised to seek alternative routes, with TfL saying it would have staff on hand to help people get to their destinations on foot, by bus or by Boris Bike.
Read more: Mapped – How long it takes to walk between Tube stations
Extra buses will be provided to boost capacity, however TfL warned they would still be "very busy". "Customers are asked to bear with the transport staff who are at work and trying to help them get around.
Extra cycle hubs will be available, and some existing cycle hubs in central London will have more cycles available than usual for the morning and evening peak.
Steve Griffiths, London Underground’s chief operating officer, said: "Our customers are advised to check the TfL website for the latest information as we try to keep London moving should the RMT proceed with its strike action.
“All of our ticket offices closed in December and all this strike will achieve is to lose staff two days’ pay and a £500 bonus.
"We have delivered every commitment we made to our staff over our stations modernisation programme – there have been no compulsory redundancies, work life balance has been protected and there’s a job for anyone who wants to stay with no loss of pay. Around 900 station staff will be promoted or will move from fixed-term contracts to permanent roles, so there is clearly absolutely no basis whatsoever for this strike threat."
Here's what will happen during the strike
- Saturday 6 February: some stations may close earlier than usual.
- Sunday 7 February: some stations may not open, and some stations may open later and close earlier than usual
- Monday 8 February: some stations may not open, and some stations may open later and close earlier than usual
- Normal services on Tuesday 9 February, but customers should check before they travel