LU and Crossrail take advantage of strike to make progress with engineering work

06 August 2015

Transport staff and volunteers are once again helping London's residents, workers and visitors beat the Tube strike today, with services running on all other Transport for London (TfL) networks. Buses, trains, roads, river services and Santander Cycles have been busier than usual, but commuters adapted their journeys to get to work.

London Underground (LU) is taking advantage of trains not running by carrying out extra engineering work. This includes work at Walthamstow Central to get ahead of schedule with the ongoing track replacement work there. LU has also given Crossrail access to sites at locations including Liverpool Street, Bond Street and Tottenham Court Road, to carry out extra work throughout the day and night during the strike action.

There are no Tube services at all today, Thursday 6 August, which is due to union leaders calling a co-ordinated period of strike action. Customers who are able to change their travel time are strongly advised to travel outside peak hours this afternoon, and all customers are advised to allow more time for their journeys.

Services will resume as normal tomorrow morning, Friday 7 August.

Staff on the DLR, London Overground, the bus network, tram and TfL Rail services are not on strike. These services are running as normal, but they are busier than usual and customers are strongly advised to, if possible, travel outside of the evening peak.

Steve Griffiths, London Underground's Chief Operating Officer, said: `We thank our customers for bearing with us during this unnecessary strike action. I am sorry that many people's journeys have been difficult this morning, but we are doing everything we can to get our customers around by other means. We are also taking advantage of the fact no trains are running by making progress with engineering work.

`The evening peak will be very busy again tonight, so we urge people to travel at other times if they can and allow a bit more time for their journeys. We have made a very fair offer to the unions that includes pay rises and bonuses for all, and guarantees to protect work-life balance. With the drivers, station staff and other roles which we have recruited for the Night Tube it is also creating over 500 jobs. We now ask them to engage properly in negotiations to get past this dispute and deliver the Night Tube that London needs. We remain ready to talk at any time.'

Many locations in central London are easily accessible from mainline rail stations, and TfL has hundreds of travel ambassadors on hand to help Londoners, visitors and tourists get around on foot, by bus, by Santander Cycles or by other means. Around 250 extra buses are boosting capacity on the main commuter corridors and to and from mainline stations and additional Santander Cycles hubs mean more bikes are available at the busiest locations. Extra river services are also being provided during peak hours today. These services are very busy and customers are asked to bear with the transport staff who are at work and trying to help them get around.

Travel advice to customers during the strike action:

Tube
The strike action that has been called involves Tube station staff and Tube drivers.

There are no Tube services at all today and all other public transport services and roads are much busier than usual.

Customers who are able to change their travel time are strongly advised to travel outside peak hours this afternoon. All customers are advised to allow more time for their journeys.

There will be a normal service on Friday 7 August.

Staff on the DLR, London Overground, the bus network, tram and TfL Rail services are not on strike. These services will run as normal, but they will be much busier than usual and customers are strongly advised to, if possible, travel outside of the evening peak.

TfL Ambassadors and volunteers are on hand to provide customers with travel information and advice on the ground. TfL urges all customers to plan ahead and to check before they travel at www.tfl.gov.uk/tube-strike and by following @TfLTravelAlerts, @TfLTrafficNews and @TfLBusAlerts on Twitter.

National Rail

  • National Rail routes will largely operate as normal but services are expected to be much busier than usual, particularly during peak hours, so please check before you travel.

DLR

  • A normal service is operating but trains are much busier than usual.
  • Entry and exit to DLR at Bank will be through Monument station only.

London Overground

  • A normal service is operating, but trains are much busier than usual.

Tramlink

  • A peak frequency service is operating throughout today.

TfL Rail

  • A normal service will operate but trains will be much busier than usual.
  • TfL is working with Network Rail and the train operators to ensure that customers have the latest information on how best to get around.

Buses

  • Services are being boosted with around 250 extra buses on key routes but some are much busier than usual;
  • TfL Ambassadors and volunteers are being deployed to bus stations and hubs to provide customers with travel information and advice on the ground.
  • Buses do not accept cash. Please use contactless payment, Oyster or bus pass. Contactless is the same fare as Oyster. Top up your Oyster pay as you go credit or buy Travelcards and One Day Bus & Tram passes at around 4,000 Oyster Ticket Stops across London. For the locations of these, please visit tfl.gov.uk/ticketstopfinder

 Coaches

  • Coaches are running more regularly on some London routes
  • Several coach operators, including National Express and Green Line, offer services that stop in a number of locations throughout London. Some of the core coach routes are as follows:
  • Golders Green - Finchley Road - Baker Street - Marble Arch - Victoria Coach Station (National Express)
  • Brent Cross - Finchley Road - Baker Street - Marble Arch - Victoria (Green Line)
  • Hillingdon - Shepherd's Bush/Baker Street - Marble Arch - Victoria (Oxford Tube & X90)
  • Hammersmith - Kensington - Hyde park Corner - Victoria (Green Line)
  • Stratford - Bow - Aldgate - Victoria Coach Station (National Express)
  • Bexley - Canary Wharf - Aldgate - Embankment - Victoria Street (Commuter Services)
  • Sutton - Streatham - Stockwell - Victoria Coach Station (National Express)
  • Eltham - Lewisham - Walworth - Elephant & Castle - Victoria Coach Station (National Express)
  • There will also be a half hourly service to Heathrow Central Bus Station and Terminals 4 and 5
  • For up to date information on coach services go to coachtracker.nationalexpress.com;
  • Tickets can be purchased in advance from the Victoria Coach Station ticket hall, or on the operator's websites.

Emirates Air Line

  • The Emirates Air Line will remain open until 23:00 today. Travelcards will be accepted
Cycling

TfL is putting on extra cycle hubs from 16:00-20:00 today, at:

  • Abbey Orchard Street (Victoria)
  • Soho Square (Soho)
  • Houghton Street (Strand)
  • Finsbury Square (Moorgate)
  • Waterloo Place (St James)
  • Chapel Place (Marylebone)
  • Concert Hall Approach (Waterloo)
  • Existing cycle hubs at Waterloo, Stonecutter Street (near Holborn and the City), Newgate Street (Bank/Cheapside/St. Paul's) and Belgrove Street (Kings Cross) have more cycles than usual.
  • The Santander Cycles App provides up to the minute information on the nearest docking station and bike availability.
  • Londoners who own a bike are encouraged to cycle.

River Services

  • TfL is operating extra river services during peak hours on RB1 and RB6 routes today between central London and Canary Wharf, and central London and Putney.

Taxis & Private Hire
During peak times a marshalled taxi service will operate at major London rail stations. The marshals will manage taxi and passenger queues and provide advice and assistance to taxi passengers and other members of the public;

  • Taxi and private hire services will be running as normal. Details for licensed taxi and private hire operators in London are available at www.tfl.gov.uk/cabwise.
  • Private hire journeys must be pre-booked through a licensed private hire operator.
  • Details for licensed private hire operators in London are available at www.tfl.gov.uk/cabwise
  • Private hire fares are not set by TfL, so ask for an estimate before confirming your booking.

Walking

  • Walking maps will be provided online and at transport hubs in central London, with TfL Ambassadors and volunteers helping people plan their routes around the city;
  • People are urged to walk for short journeys, where possible.

Roads and the Congestion Charge

  • To help keep traffic flowing, the Congestion Charge will remain in operation throughout the strike;
  • TfL will be delaying or curtailing road works on major London roads wherever possible and has encouraged all London boroughs to take similar measures on their network. TfL will also work with the Metropolitan Police to minimise the impact of congestion;
  • TfL will be working to keep traffic flowing around major transport hubs;
  • Londoners and commuters are encouraged to keep journeys by car to a minimum to enable public transport to move freely;
  • For up to date information follow @TfLTrafficNews.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

  • The Night Tube is part of London Underground's work to modernise the service offered to customers.
  • It is widely supported by Londoners and businesses and will transform night time journeys across London.
  • Journey times will be cut by an average of 20 minutes, with some cut by more than an hour.
  • London's night-time economy will be opened up to a host of new opportunities, with the Night Tube supporting around 2,000 permanent jobs and boosting the economy by £360 million.