Will London Overground be affected by the Tube strikes?

Upcoming strikes by London Underground staff are likely to bring much of the network to a standstill with Transport for London warning of “little or no service”.[1][2]

But the industrial action[3] by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union over pay and travel facilities will not apply to all public transport in the Capital.

We take a look at the services affected and which will still be running next week.

When are the strikes?

The first part of the industrial action began on Friday at 6pm when maintenance train workers at Ruislip Depot walked out for 24 hours.

But the rest of the strikes are expected to start on Sunday 7 January through to Thursday 11 January, with some impact on services on Friday 12 January.

The RMT has outlined which days will be affected[4] by the action and which staff will be participating:

  • Friday 5th January 6pm to Saturday 6th January 5.59pm – maintenance train workers at Ruislip Depot
  • Sunday 7th Jan 12.01am to Monday 8th January 11.59pm – LU Control Centre, Track Access Control and Power Control
  • Monday 8th January 12.01am to Wednesday 10th January 11.59pm – Station Staff and Train Operators
  • Tuesday 9th January 12.01am hours to Thursday 11th January 11.59pm – Service Controllers, Signallers and Line Information

According to Transport for London (TfL), this is how and when it will affect services:

  • Sunday 7 January: Tube services will close earlier than normal. Customers are advised to complete Tube journeys by 5.30pm.
  • Monday 8 to Thursday 11 January: Severe disruption is expected, with little to no service expected to run.
  • Friday 12 January: Tube services will start later than normal, with a good service expected by about midday.

All underground lines are expected to be affected by the industrial action.

Train leaving the city, London UK London Overground will mostly run as usual during strikes this week (Photo: Getty)

Does the industrial action include London Overground services?

The strikes by RMT members apply to London Underground staff and so primarily affect the Tube network.

TfL is advising customers there will be “severe disruption across the Tube network, with little or no service” expected between the evening of Sunday 7 January and the morning of Friday 12 January.

The organisation said commuters will still be able to travel on London Overground trains, Elizabeth Line[5], DLR and Tram services but they may be subject to last-minute changes and London Overground services will not stop at some stations which are shared with London Underground.

As a result of the industrial action, TfL said it expects these other London transport services, will be much busier than usual and customers are advised to check before they travel.

One-way or queueing systems may also be in place at stations, and step-free access may be affected.

The Elizabeth line will continue to operate during strike days but is not call at Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street (Low Level) and Whitechapel during the following times:

Monday 8 January: Before 6.30am and after 10.30pm

Tuesday 9 January: Before 7.30am

Wednesday 10 January: Before 6.30am and after 10.30pm

Thursday 11 January: Before 7.30am

London buses are expected to operate normally on strike days but TfL urged customers to leave more time for their journeys as it is expected that many routes will be extremely busy.

And it said walking or cycling may be quicker for some journeys.

References

  1. ^ Upcoming strikes by London Underground staff (inews.co.uk)
  2. ^ Transport for London warning of “little or no service”. (inews.co.uk)
  3. ^ industrial action (inews.co.uk)
  4. ^ RMT has outlined which days will be affected (inews.co.uk)
  5. ^ Elizabeth Line (inews.co.uk)

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