Train drivers who are union members are taking strike action that will affect Central and Waterloo & City line services today
"I apologise to customers for the disruption that this unnecessary strike is causing"
Peter McNaught
Operations Director for the Central line
  • Action means no Central line service east of Leytonstone, reduced service on the rest of the line and no service on the Waterloo & City line
  • Visit tfl.gov.uk/tube-strike and follow @TfLTravelAlerts, @TfLTrafficNews and @TfLBusAlerts for latest information

Transport for London (TfL) is reminding customers using the Central and Waterloo & City line that services are affected today due to planned strike action by train operators who are union members.

There is no service east of Leytonstone on the Central line and trains are less frequent than usual on the majority of the Central line, with trains running:

  • about every five minutes between North Acton and Leytonstone at peak times (and every 10 minutes off peak)
  • about every 10 minutes between North Acton and West Ruislip / Ealing Broadway at peak times (and every 20 minutes off peak)

The Waterloo & City line will not run at all today. All other transport services are unaffected by the action but some may be busier than usual as customers seek alternative routes.

For customers east of Leytonstone, local bus routes have been boosted with additional bus services but it is likely that buses will be busier than usual, particularly during the morning and evening peak times.

A special bus shuttle service is also operating between Epping and Chingford calling at Epping, Debden, Loughton and Chingford providing connections to London Overground services. Santander Cycles have been boosted at key stations such as Tottenham Court Road, Oxford Circus and Liverpool Street in order to help customers make alternative arrangements.

Other stations and lines are also likely to be busy, including:

  • TfL Rail services between Romford and Stratford, particularly Ilford station
  • London Overground lines and stations between Liverpool Street and Chingford
  • Victoria line and stations, especially Walthamstow Central
  • Jubilee line and stations between London Bridge and Waterloo

Customers may have to queue outside stations during peak times to prevent overcrowding, and it may take longer than usual to board a train

There are posters, digital boards and announcements in stations around the network and customers are advised to check before they travel at tfl.gov.uk/tube-strike and use TfLs live update services - @TfLTravelAlerts, @TfLTrafficNews and @TfLBusAlerts on Twitter.

This dispute concerns the need to move eight train operators on the Central line. These drivers are needed at other depots on the Underground so that London Underground can provide the best possible train service to customers. Following consultation, TfL has minimised the number of drivers affected to eight from originally over 30 and has guaranteed that those required to move will have first preference on any future vacancies at their original location.

These moves are in accordance with TfLs agreements with the RMT and with other unions, which state that employees can be asked to work at any location on the network. No further moves are planned.

Peter McNaught, Operations Director for the Central line, said:

'I apologise to customers for the disruption that this unnecessary strike is causing. We have made all reasonable efforts to resolve this dispute through talking through the issues with the unions, and we have minimised the number of employees affected from over 30 to eight. All of these moves are within the long-standing agreements we have made with the unions. We call on the RMT to honour this long-standing agreement and join us for more talks to resolve this issue.'

 

Notes to Editors:

  • Other stations likely to be busy are Leytonstone, Leyton, Stratford, Mile End, Liverpool Street, Oxford Circus, Waterloo, Tottenham Court Road, Holborn, Bank, Monument, London Bridge, Embankment, North Ealing and Ealing Common.
  • The action began at 21.00 yesterday, on Tuesday 21 February. Services will resume as normal at the start of traffic tomorrow, on Thursday 23 February.
  • There will be no service east of Leytonstone or on the Waterloo & City line.
  • Last July we highlighted a surplus of train drivers on the Central line to the trade unions and asked them to work with us to limit the amount of movement required.
  • We have talked to trade unions, offered to listen to their suggestions and even tabled alternative proposals for their consideration. After a great deal of hard work, we have been able to reduce the number of essential moves down to just eight people.
  • The movement of these eight train drivers is a reflection of these agreements being implemented to move extra train drivers to where they are needed so our customers benefit from a better service.
  • These drivers will have priority to return to the Central line when a vacancy occurs should the wish to do so.