UPDATE: Reduced service running on Hammersmith & City and Circle lines today despite 24-hour strike action
- Services on other Tube lines continue to run as normal, but the District and Piccadilly lines are much busier than usual
- Customers are advised to allow more time to complete their journeys
- Follow tfl.gov.uk/tube-strike and @TfLTravelAlerts, @TfLTrafficNews and @TfLBusAlerts for the latest information
Transport for London (TfL) is updating Tube customers on the travel advice available to help them get around during today's 24-hour strike action on the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines.
Despite some drivers on these two lines - who are RMT union members - striking until the end of today, enough drivers (over 60 per cent) are available to enable a train to run every 20 minutes between Hammersmith and Moorgate on the Hammersmith & City line, and on the Circle line.
Services on both lines are, however, much less frequent than usual and extremely busy and may be subject to short notice cancellations.
TfL advises customers to take alternative Tube or bus routes if possible. The District and Piccadilly lines are much busier than usual. Customers at stations between Hammersmith and Edgware Road via Shepherd's Bush Market are strongly advised to take alternative Tube, bus or Cycle routes as the service is reduced and they may not be able to board a train.
More buses are running to help Londoners get around. Buses do not accept cash, so customers will need to use their contactless debit or credit card, Oyster or bus & tram pass to continue their journeys. Customers are advised to allow more time for their journeys.
Steve White, Operations Director for London Underground, said: "Despite today's 24-hour strike action, we have had enough drivers available this morning to let us run a train every 20 minutes between Hammersmith and Moorgate on the Hammersmith & City line, and on the Circle line.
Our customers are advised to check our real-time travel information. All other Tube lines and other TfL services are operating as normal. We apologise to our customers whose journeys have been needlessly disrupted by this strike action today."
TfL advises all customers to check before they travel at tfl.gov.uk/tube-strike and follow @TfLTravelAlerts, @TfLTrafficNews and @TfLBusAlerts on Twitter.
Planned weekend engineering work means there will be no Circle or Hammersmith & City line service between Hammersmith and Edgware Road only on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 September.
London Underground (LU) has been in discussion with the RMT union to try to resolve the dispute, which is about a number of local-level issues at two of the three depots covering the lines. This includes the duration of unplanned breaks taken by a minority of drivers.
Steve White added: "We completely understand that sometimes drivers need to take a break during their driving duties to go to the toilet.
"But it has become clear that a minority are taking breaks of an hour or more and calling them toilet breaks. This has a direct impact on customers, with some trains being cancelled, and also on their fellow drivers who are having to cover for them.
"The suggestion that we are timing toilet breaks and asking intrusive questions is absolutely not true. That would be neither dignified nor reasonable. We are trying to support our staff - offering help through our Occupational Health team if a driver has health issues which requires them to take long breaks.
"We hope that the RMT will work with us to resolve the issues and prevent any further needless disruption to our passengers."
Notes to Editors:
- Eighty-two RMT members were balloted at two depots
- Fifty members voted in the ballot and of these 43 voted for strike action
- There are 265 drivers in total on the Circle and Hammersmith & City line