Major delays expected tomorrow after crippling walkout brings capital to a standstill

What to do to avoid getting caught out

• If you can, consider working from home on strike days (Tue 1 and Thu 3 March)
• If you can, travel later in the day on the days after strikes (Wed 2 and Fri 4 March)
• Allow more time for your journey if you need to travel between 1 and 4 March

Huge rises on rail season tickets

A 3.8% rise on rail fares would lead to hikes in the cost of annual season tickets, such as:

• Brighton to London (any route): Up £194 to £5,302
• Liverpool to Manchester (any route): Up £105 to £2,865
• Neath to Cardiff: Up £70 to £1,922

Customers advised to work from home on Thursday

Further disruption is expected all day on Thursday during another strike, with customers advised to work from home if they can, and into the morning of Friday.

A statement said: “We have operated as much of the network as possible given the drivers who were working.

“Shuttle services have operated on the Bakerloo, Northern, Central, Piccadilly and District lines during the day.

“No service has operated on the other lines, and no service is expected to run on the Victoria, Metropolitan, Jubilee, Circle or Hammersmith and City lines today.”

Commuters were advised to complete tube journeys by 6.30pm

Travellers were urged to complete any Tube journeys by 6.30pm on Tuesday night.

TfL said disruption will continue into Wednesday morning, with no Tubes until at least 7.30am and a severely disrupted service until later in the morning.

It said customers should avoid travelling in the early morning and aim to make their journeys later in the day.

TfL warns further disruption on Thursday

TfL said the second 24-hour strike is set to go ahead on Thursday.

It said in a statement: “Further disruption is expected all day on Thursday 3 March, when customers are advised to work from home if they can, and into the morning of Friday 4 March, when customers should avoid early morning journeys.”

The RMT this afternoon said no talks had taken place today.

Thursday’s strike looks set to go ahead

A second planned 24 hour walk out will take place on Thursday.

Speaking to BBC London, RMT’s John Leach said there have been no negotiations today.

He said: “What there has been today is an absolute display of complete and total solidarity and determination by London Underground staff and members of the RMT who will not take this attack on their pensions, jobs and terms and conditions lying down.

“The Mayor’s announcements [today] have said nothing about addressing the issues in my opinion so we will continue.”

Crippling delays

London Overground, DLR, TfL Rail, and London Trams are still running – but for the majority of Londoners, journeys have been disrupted.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Our members will be taking strike action because a financial crisis at LU (London Underground) has been deliberately engineered by the Government to drive a cuts agenda which would savage jobs, services, safety and threaten their working conditions and pensions.”

The Tube strike has also caused delays on London’s roads, affecting private cars, commercial vehicles and buses.

Uber hits back at reports of over-charging

An Uber spokesperson said: “As a result of the strike action currently taking place on the London Underground network, we have capped the level that prices can surge, and all users are shown the price of their trip before they book.

“We are also working hard to ensure that there are enough drivers out on the road to match demand.”

TomTom: London’s road congestion was at 119% this morning

The Tube strike has also caused delays on London’s roads, affecting private cars, commercial vehicles and buses.

Location technology firm TomTom said at 9am the level of road congestion was 119 per cent – the highest figure for the capital this year.

The level was 80 per cent at the same time last week.

The city ‘is becoming unliveable’

John Rayner, 28, a construction worker who was waiting for a bus in Paddington, west London, said: “I missed two buses this morning because queues for buses are so long and some buses don’t even bother to stop.

“I walked to Paddington for over an hour as I thought I would have more luck getting a Tube from here.

“It is a joke. This city is becoming unliveable.”

RMT: Political failure has left workers no choice but to strike

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch says tube workers were “left with no choice” but to strike

He said: “Sadiq Khan should be standing up to Tory ministers who want to needlessly attack jobs, pensions and conditions of key transport workers.

“It is this political failure that has left Tube workers with no choice but to strike this week.

“Our members have been left paying the price for a turf war between City Hall and the government and they are not having it, as can be seen right across London today.”

Many take to Twitter to support staff

Many commuters have taken to Twitter to show their support for TFL staff following today’s strike.

One user said: “I’m putting my pain in the ass commute to the side but TFL workers deserve more.

“The amount of effort and dedication they put in from 4am starts too 2am finishes, from being put on the frontline to deal with the worst on most occasions. Stand with TFL workers!”

Another said: “I stand with London Underground station staff.

“They work bloody hard, deal with horrible situations, are highly trained to help keep customers safe n work unsociable hours with an exhausting shift pattern.

“They deserve to be treated with respect like any other worker #tubestrike“

One furious commuter took to Twitter to complain about Uber ‘over charging’ for their trip.

The commuter said: “You are a bunch of scammers, I can’t believe you’re making such a huge profit and business out of a tube strike, shame on you 🤮.

“Being charged over 30 pounds EXTRA for a trip because of a tube strike.”

Train passengers in south also subjected to delays

Train passengers in the South were also hit by disruption unrelated to the Tube strike.

Network Rail said a suspected power supply failure had led to a “complete loss of signalling” in Ashtead, Surrey.

This was causing delays to services between Epsom and Leatherhead operated by Southern and South Western Railway.

Rail replacement buses have been requested.

The disruption came on the day rail fares were increased, causing more misery for passengers.

Bus passengers complaining about delays on roads

Bus passengers in London are complaining of major disruption to journeys as many people who usually travel by Tube switched to road transport.

Long queues have formed at bus stops, particularly those outside stations closed because of the RMT strike hitting London Underground services.

When buses do arrive at stops they are often too full to accept any more passengers.

A Twitter user named Salman wrote: “Currently on a bus stuck in gridlock, with the journey in to Westminster expected to take longer than my journey to Solihull yesterday.”

Another passenger, Michal Indrak, posted a message to Transport for London which read: “Waiting for bus 59 for an hour and late for work an hour.

“No extra buses and even those empty ones don’t stop for some reason and you increasing (fares) for services you don’t provide properly. In rain and cold standing and waiting. Something should be done with TfL.”

In pictures: Miles of tube trains stacked up at Neasden depot

The image below shows tube trains lying dormant.

The grim image was taken at Neasden depot in north London.

Today marks the first of two planned walk-outs, with the second strike taking place from midnight on Thursday.

Mayor’s spokesman says strikes will damage TfL’s revenues further

A spokesman for London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the strikes will cause disruption to Londoners and businesses trying to recover from two devastating years.

They added: “It will also damage TfL’s revenues at a time when TfL is already under huge financial strain due to the pandemic.

“TfL are working to mitigate the impact of the strikes but disruption is inevitable.”

Entire London Underground suspended during rush hour

The entire underground was suspended in the rush hour, although limited services returned later on a few lines.

People tried to get to work on buses or in taxis but huge queues formed, forcing many to give up and go home.

Road congestion around the capital was at its highest level of the year so far as some commuters attempted to drive through the capital.

The disruption came on the same day as Tube and bus fares went up by an average of 4.8%.

Which tube lines have no service today?

There are some lines that are operating replacement buses across London today.

But the following lines have no service at all during the strike action:

• Bakerloo
• Circle
• Hammersmith and City
• Jubilee
• Metropolitan
• Victoria
• Waterloo and City lines.

Which lines are running replacement bus services?

TfL issued an update on Tube services at 11.30am:

Central Line:

• Between White City and Ealing Broadway/West Ruislip
• Between Liverpool Street and Loughton
• Between Newbury Park and Leytonstone via Woodford

Northern Line

• Between East Finchley and High Barnet/Mill Hill East
• Between Edgware and Golders Green

Piccadilly Line

• Between Acton Town and Hounslow Central

District Line

• Between Upminster and West Ham
• Between High Street Kensington and Wimbledon

RMT: Political failure has left workers no choice but to strike

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch says tube workers were “left with no choice” but to strike

He said: “Sadiq Khan should be standing up to Tory ministers who want to needlessly attack jobs, pensions and conditions of key transport workers.

“It is this political failure that has left Tube workers with no choice but to strike this week.

“Our members have been left paying the price for a turf war between City Hall and the government and they are not having it, as can be seen right across London today.”