London faces the final day of the Tube drivers' strikes, with sweeping disruption on most Underground lines. The final 24-hour round of the strike kicked off yesterday at midday as members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) walked out over a working hours row with Transport for London (TfL). The action will continue officially until 12pm today, but the Underground will be disrupted until the afternoon, TfL warns.
This morning's Tube status is a grim read for commuters who have had to use their imagination this week to travel to work, with strikelists seeing a huge boom as people saddle up. Most of the Bakerloo, Central, Piccadilly, Metropolitan and Circle lines are wiped out this morning due to the strike. The District, Hammersmith & City, Jubilee, Northern and Victoria lines have severe delays.
Which TfL services are still running?
Despite the widespread disruption, some services remain operational. The Elizabeth line is not part of the strike and is expected to run as usual, although services are likely to be busy. The Overground, Docklands Light Railway (DLR), most buses (except a handful of routes in east London due to a separate bus strike), and the Tram in south London are running normally.
However, if you are travelling on any Tube line with services like the Jubilee and District lines, remember to complete your journey by 8pm as trains will wrap up early tonight, TfL warned.
Strikelists take over London
Thousands of Londoners have turned to cycling to avoid the strike chaos. By 8.45am on day three, the cyclist tally on the Embankment display stood at 3,810, meaning nearly 4,000 riders had passed the spot within hours. On an average day outside the strikes, around 252 cyclists ride past it.
Lime bikes have seen a massive uptick in rentals. Hal Stevenson, Lime's UK Director of Policy, said: 'On Tuesday, April 22 we saw a 23% increase in Lime trips in London when compared with the same day last week. Both the average distance and duration of a Lime trip also jumped by 20% week-on-week, suggesting many riders used Lime for their full commute rather than just first or last mile connections.'
Forest bikes also experienced a huge spike. A spokesperson for Forest told Metro: 'During yesterday morning's rush hour (between 7am-8am) Forest experienced a 50% increase in rides compared to the same time last week, with a 35% increase during the afternoon peak.'
Road closures and alternative routes
Those who are prowling the streets on foot or with their bikes should beware: road closures are already in place ahead of the London Marathon this weekend. The Mall has been shut off to traffic this morning and will remain closed until April 27th. Please make sure you plan your routes accordingly.
For those considering walking, TfL has a handy walking Tube map which reveals how many minutes on average it takes to walk between stations. Some of the results are quite shocking.
Why are the tube drivers on strike?
Tube drivers are striking over a voluntary proposal made by TfL to allow train operators to move to a compressed four-day week. The RMT says the longer days risk driver fatigue and compromising safety for commuters and tourists. Jared Wood says the negotiations with TfL left his members feeling 'there is absolutely no alternative but to proceed with the strike action'. TfL called the action 'completely unnecessary' and said drivers can remain on a five-day week if they want to.
Best apps and websites to check travel information
While our liveblog is keeping on top of all the latest news and developments, you might want to have a quick look on a route mapper service to see how you can get to your desired destination. Citymapper offers 'Strike safe' options to help you plot how you need to get from A to B. TfL's status page gives the most up to date news on the tube lines and how they are running. Their app, TfL Go, helps you plan your routes. National Rail's status updates can give you all the latest updates with trains this morning. Meanwhile their journey planner is also extremely useful. The Trainline's app and website also gives you the latest updates on national train services. For a live bus map, Accessible UK train timetables has a tracker so you can see how your local buses are moving currently.
