TfL reminds customers to only travel if essential ahead of strike action on Thursday and Saturday

Transport for London (TfL) is urging customers to avoid travelling on the Tube and only travel if essential on the rest of the network on Friday 19 August and until 08:00 on Saturday 20 August. This is due to planned industrial action by the RMT on London Underground and London Overground on 19 August, as well as by Unite on some London buses in west and southwest London on 19 and 20 August.  

RMT strike action on national rail services will also impact services on London Underground, London Overground and the Elizabeth line from 18-21 August. Customers are advised to check before they travel and leave more time for their journeys. 

Unite is undertaking strike action on some London bus services on Friday 19 and Saturday 20 August, which will impact routes through west and southwest London and parts of Surrey. In total, 57 routes will not be operating throughout the action and there will be no Night Bus service on affected routes on Friday 19 August and Saturday 20 August, however the remaining 489 bus routes across London will continue to run as scheduled. A full list of affected routes is available below and on TfL's webpage. Customers are encouraged to avoid making journeys on affected services until 08:00 on Sunday 21 August, but reminded that the majority of routes will run as normal. 

Walking or cycling may be quicker for some journeys and planning tools are available to plan walking journeys. Santander Cycles will be available, with teams ensuring that bikes are distributed at key locations according to demand. Rental e-scooters are also available to hire in some London boroughs. Additional river services will run on Friday 19 August to help those who need to travel. Customers should check the timetable and allow extra time for their journeys as services may be busier than usual.

For the latest information on how TfL services are operating, please use TfL's real-time travel tools, including status updates, Journey Planner and TfL Go. Travel advice for the strike action is available at tfl.gov.uk/strikes. 

Andy Lord, TfL's Chief Operating Officer, said: "I would like to apologise to our customers for the strike action being carried out by RMT and Unite, which will have a significant impact on the city's transport network. I understand how frustrating these strikes are and I'd like to remind the RMT and Unite that it's not too late to work with us, Arriva Rail London and RATP to find a resolution and avoid the huge disruption this action will cause to people's journeys and to the economy. 

"Customers should check before they travel from 18-21 August, as strike action is impacting different modes of transport each day. For 19 August, we are urging our customers to avoid travelling on the Tube and only travel if essential on the rest of the network. We expect little to no service on the Tube until 08:00 on Saturday 20 August and alternative travel modes are likely to be busy. Please consider walking and cycling if you need to travel." 

This disruptive action on London Underground comes as part of a dispute with the RMT over pensions, jobs and conditions. This is despite the fact no proposals have been tabled on pensions or terms and conditions, and nobody has or will lose their jobs because of the proposals TfL has set out. The RMT is seeking assurances from TfL that no organisation could meaningfully provide. Unite trade union members at bus operator RATP are striking over a separate issue relating to pay. TfL has urged both parties to work together to agree on a fair pay settlement and avoid the need for industrial action.

Travel advice for each day is set out below: 

Thursday 18 August (national rail strikes): 

During the national rail strikes, the majority of TfL's services will continue to run, however some disruption is expected. There will be a reduced service on the London Overground, Elizabeth line and some Tube lines due to the impact of the national rail strike on shared track and assets - further details are set out below. Services running are expected to be busy and may not be able to stop at all stations. Customers using national rail services are advised to avoid travel unless absolutely necessary. 

There will be a reduced service on London Overground between 08:00 and 18:00, with no service outside of these times and no service at all on some sections of the network throughout the day. Further details are available on the TfL website. 

There will be no service on the Bakerloo line north of Queen's Park, due to shared tracks. There will be no District line between Wimbledon and Parson's Green or Richmond and Turnham Green before 08:00 and after 18:00. There is the potential for further disruption due to the strike impacting London Underground staff availability. Customers are advised to plan ahead, check before they travel and leave more time for their journey. 

 A full service will run on the central section of the Elizabeth line between 07:00 and 18:00, with no service before 07:00 and a reduced train service after 18:00. Customers connecting with national rail services should check before they travel and use TfL's real-time travel tools, such as Journey Planner and TfL Go to plan their journeys ahead of time. 

Coaches running into and out of Victoria Coach station are expected to be very busy.  

Friday 19 August (London Underground, London Overground and London bus strikes): 

Tube, Overground and bus strikes are taking place on Friday 19 August, which will affect the majority of TfL's services. TfL expects severe disruption on all London Underground lines on Friday 19 August, with little to no services throughout the day due to RMT's strike action. There will also be no Night Tube or Night Overground service from Friday evening. Customers are advised to avoid travelling on the Tube and only travel if essential on the rest of the network. 

Disruption from the national rail strike on Thursday 18 August will also continue impacting some services into the following morning. Elizabeth line and Overground services will start later than usual on Friday 19 August so customers are advised to avoid travelling on these services before 08:00 and to check before they travel. 

Unite strike action will also impact 57 routes in west and southwest London and parts of Surrey, which will not be operating throughout the day. On affected routes, there will be no Night Bus service on Friday 19 August and Saturday 20 August. If travel cannot be avoided, customers should check alternative routes before they travel and leave additional time for journeys. Walking or cycling may be quicker alternatives for some journeys and planning tools are available to plan walking journeys. 

In addition, London Trams will be running a reduced service and DLR services into Bank are likely to only operate between 07:00 and 18:30. Coaches running into and out of Victoria Coach station are expected to be very busy.  

Saturday 20 August (national rail strikes and London bus strikes): 

Disruption from the London Underground strike will continue into the morning of Saturday 20 August and customers are advised to avoid making journeys before 08:00. Industrial action on 57 west and southwest London bus routes will also continue throughout Saturday 20 August and there will be no Night Bus service on affected routes. In addition, London Trams will be running a reduced service.  

Similarly to Thursday, national rail strikes will impact TfL services due to shared track and assets. Customers using national rail services are advised to avoid travel unless absolutely necessary. Services running are expected to be very busy and may not be able to stop at all stations. There will be a reduced service on London Overground between 08:00 and 18:00 and no Night Overground service on Saturday evening. A full Night Tube service is expected to run. 

There will be no District line between Wimbledon and Parson's Green or Richmond and Turnham Green before 08:00 and after 18:00, due to shared tracks with National Rail. There will also be no service on the Bakerloo line before 08:00 and no service north of Queen's Park throughout the day. There is the potential for disruption due to the strike impacting London Underground staff availability. Customers are advised to plan ahead, check before they travel and leave more time for their journeys. 

A full service will run on the central section of the Elizabeth line between 07:00 and 18:00, with no service before 07:00 and a reduced train service after 18:00. Customers connecting with national rail services should check before they travel use TfL's real-time travel tools, such as Journey Planner and TfL Go plan their journeys ahead of time. 

Coaches running into and out of Victoria Coach station are expected to be very busy.  

Sunday 21 August (impacted by previous day's strike action): 

Disruption from the national rail and London bus strikes will continue to impact services in the morning on Sunday 21 August. From 08:00, services will resume on bus routes impacted in west and southwest London and parts of Surrey. Elizabeth line and Overground services will start later than usual, so customers are encouraged to avoid making journeys on affected services until after 08:00.

Notes to editors

• Travel advice for strike action on the TfL network is available at tfl.gov.uk/strikes 
• TfL advises customers to check nationalrailenquiries.co.uk for the latest information on the national rail strikes 
• Walking maps are available at: tfl.gov.uk/modes/walking/ 
• There will be no Night Tube service on Friday 19 August due to industrial action, and no Night Overground on Friday 19 and Saturday 20 August 
• Due to industrial action, London Transport Museum will be opening at reduced hours, please check their website for further details: www.ltmuseum.co.uk/ 
• As part of previous funding agreements, the Government has required TfL to work towards achieving financial sustainability on its operations by April 2023. This means TfL must speed up its pre-pandemic savings programme. As part of this, TfL has been engaging with its trade unions and staff to seek their views on how it can make London Underground more efficient and financially sustainable, while continuing to deliver the highest standards of safety, reliability and customer service. TfL has committed to its staff and trade unions that the safety of staff and customers will always remain paramount and the changes will protect as many jobs as possible for the people who work for TfL today, allowing more flexibility to adapt to changing customer requirements 
• TfL has proposed not recruiting into around 500 to 600 posts as they become vacant - including 250 currently unfilled Tube station posts. London Underground stations will remain staffed at all times while trains are operating, with more than 4,500 station staff available across the network to assist customers and keep them safe, supplemented by enforcement teams and police. This will bring staffing levels in line with customer need while protecting as many jobs as possible. TfL is urging the RMT to work with it to find a resolution and avoid the disruption and damage another strike will cause to London and the economy 

The following bus routes will be impacted by Unite strike action from 00:01 Friday 19 August to 08:00 Sunday 21 August:

9, 18, 33, 49, 65, 70, 71, 72, 85, 94, 105, 110, 111, 116, 117, 148, 203, 211, 216, 220, 223, 224, 258, 265, 266, 272, 281, 283, 290, 293, 371, 400, 404, 406, 411, 418, 419, 423, 440, 465, 467, 470, 481, 613, 635, 662, 663, 665, 671, 681, 696, 697, C1, E1, E3, H22, H32, H37, H91, H98, K1, K2, K3, K4, K5, KU1, KU2, KU3, N9, N18, N33, N65, N72, N266, S3