"Our plans will radically improve the service we offer Tube customers in future. The whole Tube station will effectively become a personalised customer service centre, with more staff visible and available to help customers buy the right ticket, plan their journeys and get assistance"
  • LU to run as many services as possible, but there will be disruption and customers urged to check before they travel at tfl.gov.uk
  • Extra bus and river services, to help Londoners get around
  • Licensed and trained TfL Ambassadors will help to keep Tube stations open and provide travel information and advice to customers
  • LU's plans to radically improve customer service, with more staff visible and available to help customers in public areas of Tube stations
  • LU guarantees no compulsory redundancies, that no member of staff will be forced to leave LU and that it is seeking ways to ensure no staff lose pay as a result of change 

Transport for London (TfL) today set out a range of measures to help keep London moving and open for business this week, should the strikes threatened by the leadership of the RMT union on London Underground (LU) go ahead.

LU is consulting with trade unions and staff over its plans to modernise the Tube and radically improve customer service.

Under LU's plans, the public areas of stations - ticket halls, gate lines and platforms - will effectively become personalised customer service centres, replicating the standards of service LU were able to offer during the London 2012 Games.

Staff will be brought out from behind hidden back offices and the glass windows of under-used ticket offices to better serve customers.

Everything that customers can do at a ticket office window today will be available to them more readily in future, with more LU staff visible and available to help customers buy the right ticket, plan their journey and keep them safe and secure.

There will be even more staff available to help customers with disabilities and new Visitor Information Centres will cater for the needs of tourists and visitors to London at the busiest Tube stations, including selling tickets.

In addition, LU has guaranteed that not a single member of staff will be forced to leave the company as a result of plans to modernise customer service on the Tube.

There will also be no compulsory redundancies and LU is seeking ways to ensure no member of staff sees their pay cut as a result of the changes proposed.

Over the last two months there have been intensive discussions with all trade unions, meeting more than 40 times to explain these proposals in detail.

LU has listened, and have made changes to our proposals as a result. However, the RMT leadership has nonetheless instructed their members to carry out five days of strike action over the next two weeks.

Two strikes have been called, one 48 hours and one 72 hours, at LU which will affect services from:

  • 21:30hrs this evening, Monday 28 April and throughout the whole of Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 April
  • 21:00hrs on Monday 5 May and throughout the whole of Tuesday 6, Wednesday 7 and Thursday 8 May.

Phil Hufton, London Underground's Chief operating Officer, said: "Our plans will radically improve the service we offer Tube customers in future. The whole Tube station will effectively become a personalised customer service centre, with more staff visible and available to help customers buy the right ticket, plan their journeys and get assistance. "Over the past eight weeks, we have met with trades unions on more than 40 separate occasions. We have listened to their concerns and made changes as a result. We've provided guarantees that not a single member of staff will be forced to leave LU, that no supervisors must 'apply for their own job' and we are seeking ways to ensure that no member of staff sees their pay cut as a result of these changes. Given these commitments and guarantees, Londoners will rightly be asking why the RMT is threatening five days of strikes. All it will achieve is disruption to Londoners and a loss of pay for all those staff who take part. My message to the RMT leadership is its not too late to call off this unnecessary strike and continue to work with us to help shape the future of the Tube. However, should it go ahead we will be working hard to keep London moving and open for business."

Travel advice to customers during the RMT strike action: Should the strike action go ahead, LU will keep as many stations open and run as many trains as possible.

Services will be affected from 21:30hrs this evening Monday 28 April so customers are asked to try and complete journeys as early as possible this evening.

If your Oyster card needs topping up, it may help to do this in advance of the industrial action starting.

There will be disruption to journeys tomorrow and Wednesday, when Tube services will start later and finish earlier than normal - where running a service is possible, trains will run from around 07:00hrs or as soon as possible after that to around 23:00hrs with no service beyond that.

Customers are advised that final services from central London may depart significantly earlier than this, at around 21:30hrs.

Although it is not possible to say exactly what services we will be able to run, the line-by-line information below will help customers to plan journeys in advance.

However, customers are advised that the situation may change throughout the day. Buses and other transport services may also be very busy.

Those public transport workers who are on duty during the strike will be doing their very best to keep London moving and open for business. 

TfL asked customers for their patience during what may be difficult journeys.

TfL Ambassadors and volunteers will also be on hand to provide customers with travel information and advice on the ground. TfL urges all customers to plan ahead and to check before they travel at tfl.gov.uk and by following @TfLTravelAlerts, @TfLTrafficNews and @TfLBusAlerts on Twitter.

Football supporters travelling to watch Arsenal vs. Newcastle this evening are advised to plan in advance their journeys home as Tube services are unlikely to be serving the area.

Fans travelling to Chelsea's Champions League match against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday should visit the club's website for more information.

Tube Services will be affected from around 9.30pm, so please complete your journey as early as possible.

If strike action does take place and where we can operate services, trains will run from around 7.00am, or as soon as possible after that, and they are expected to conclude around 11.00pm, with no service beyond that.

However, customers are advised that the last services from central London may depart significantly earlier than this, at around 9.30pm.

We will run as many Tube services as we can but some lines may have only a limited service, and some sections will be closed. 

We cannot guarantee that we will be able to run all the planned services set out below and the situation may change throughout the day.

View our service level information pdf

In addition to those stations listed here as closed, some others may also need to close at times.

Heathrow Express

  • A reduced Heathrow Express service will run on Tuesday 29 April and Wednesday 30 April due to separate strike action by the RMT. Heathrow Express plans to run two trains an hour between Heathrow and Paddington and back. Check www.heathrowexpress.com for more information.

DLR

  • A normal service will operate. Some stations where there is an interchange with London Underground may be affected.

Buses

  • London buses operate around 700 routes and services are being boosted with over 250 extra buses on key routes
  • TfL Ambassadors and volunteers are being deployed to bus stations and hubs to provide customers with travel information and advice on the ground

Coaches

Several coach operators, including National Express and Green Line, offer services that stop in a number of locations throughout London.

Some of the core coach routes are as follows:

  • Golders Green - Finchley Road - Baker Street - Marble Arch - Victoria Coach Station (National Express)
  • Brent Cross - Finchley Road - Baker Street - Marble Arch - Victoria (Green Line)
  • Hillingdon - Shepherd's Bush/Baker Street - Marble Arch - Victoria (Oxford Tube & X90)
  • Hammersmith - Kensington - Hyde park Corner - Victoria (Green Line)
  • Stratford - Bow - Aldgate - Victoria Coach Station (National Express)
  • Bexley - Canary Wharf - Aldgate - Embankment - Victoria Street (Commuter Services)
  • Coulsdon - Wallington - Streatham - Stockwell - Victoria Coach Station (National Express)
  • Sutton - Wallington - Streatham - Stockwell - Victoria Coach Station (National Express)
  • Eltham - Lewisham - Walworth - Elephant & Castle - Victoria Coach Station (National Express)
Tickets can be purchased in advance from the Victoria Coach Station ticket hall, or on the operators websites:
  • http://www.nationalexpress.com for main site and bookings.
  • http://coach.nationalexpress.com/nxbooking/stop-finder to find where the coach stops are in London
  • http://www.greenline.co.uk for main site and bookings
  • http://www.greenline.co.uk/timetables-search/ for location of stops in London
  • www.oxfordtube.com
  • http://x90.oxfordbus.co.uk

London Overground

  • A normal service will operate. Some stations where there is an interchange with London Underground may be affected.

Tramlink

  • A normal service will operate.

Emirates Air Line

  • A normal service will operate. LU tickets will be accepted on Emirates Air Line services

Cycling

  • Barclays Cycle Hire will be available to members and casual users, although demand is likely to be high, and cycles harder to access, during peak times
  • Londoners who own a bike are encouraged to cycle to work, and a Cycle Journey Planner is provided at tfl.gov.uk/cyclejourneyplanner
  • TfL is writing to hundreds of businesses across London to ask them to be flexible and make it easy for staff to cycle to work, and to allow staff to wear casual clothes on the day

River Services

  • Enhanced River services will be in place, including on Route RB1 between Greenland (Surrey Quays) / Canary Wharf and London Bridge; and
  • Additional services for Canary Wharf will leave London Eye at 08:00 and 08:30, calling at Tower only; additional services will leave Canary Wharf at 17:00, 18:30 and 19:00 calling at Tower only
  • An additional centre London service (Tower/ Bankside / Westminster / London Eye) during the AM peak only
  • In combination with the normal timetabled service, this will provide a 10 to 15 minute frequency on most central London piers during the morning and evening peaks
  • On the RB6 route, the morning eastbound timetable will be enhanced with additional boats leaving Putney at 07:15, 07:45, 08:20 and 08:45. These extra services will be non-stop to Embankment, then Blackfriars
  • On the RB6 route, the evening westbound timetable will be enhanced with additional boats leaving Blackfriars at 17:35, 17:50, 18:15 and 19:15. These extra services will call at Embankment, then non-stop to Putney

Taxis & Private Hire

  • During peak times a marshalled taxi service will operate at eight major London rail termini - Euston, Waterloo, Liverpool St, London Bridge, King's Cross, Victoria, Charing Cross, and Marylebone. The marshals will manage taxi and passenger queues and provide advice and assistance to taxi passengers and other members of the public
  • Private hire and minicab services will be running as normal. Details for licensed private hire and minicab operators in London are available at tfl.gov.uk/cabwise

National Rail

  • Oyster Pay As You Go is accepted for all National Rail journeys within Greater London
  • Travelcards are also valid for travel on National Rail within the zones purchased
  • A reduced Heathrow Express service will run on Tuesday 29 April and Wednesday 30 April due to separate strike action by the RMT
  • Heathrow Express plans to run two trains an hour between Heathrow and Paddington and back. Check www.heathrowexpress.com for more information

Walking

  • Walking maps will be provided online, in bus, rail, and Tube stations in Zone 1 and other key outer London stations, with TfL Ambassadors and volunteers helping people plan their routes around the city
  • People are urged to use here walking for short journeys, where possible

Roads and the Congestion Charge

  • To help keep traffic flowing, the Congestion Charge will remain in operation throughout the strike
  • TfL will be delaying or curtailing road works on major London roads wherever possible and has encouraged all London boroughs to take similar measures on their network.
  • TfL will also work with the Metropolitan Police to minimise the impact of congestion
  • TfL will be working to keep traffic flowing around major transport hubs
  • Londoners and commuters are encouraged to keep journeys by car to a minimum to enable public transport to move freely.