London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Aug 22, 2026

Tube strike causes travel 'chaos' for commuters returning to work after Platinum Jubilee weekend

Tube strike causes travel 'chaos' for commuters returning to work after Platinum Jubilee weekend

London Underground advised people not to travel, warning of severe disruption across the network from the start of service on Monday until 8am on Tuesday.

People returning to work following the Platinum Jubilee bank holiday weekend have faced travel "chaos" as a Tube strike caused major disruption.

London Underground has advised people not to travel, warning of a severe impact on the network from the start of service on Monday until 8am on Tuesday.

Some 4,000 members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) are taking part in industrial action in a dispute over jobs and pensions.

The 24-hour walkout has caused problems for passengers across the network on the first working day after Platinum Jubilee celebrations over the four-day weekend.

Transport for London (TfL) said some train services will run but many stations, especially those in central and south London, will be closed, while others may only open for limited periods.

"Buses, DLR, London Overground, Elizabeth line and Trams are not affected by the industrial action and are running normally. However, they are busier than usual," TfL tweeted.

Downing Street condemned the "deeply disappointing" strike action on the London Underground.

"This sort of action is deeply disappointing and not what the public want to see, not what we want to see for businesses still trying to recover post-pandemic, people's lives being disrupted in London," the prime minister's official spokesman said.

"Obviously industrial relations at TfL (Transport for London) are a matter for TfL and the mayor but it's clear that under the current funding settlement TfL must take all reasonable steps to avoid industrial action."

Construction worker Miguel Basantes was stuck at Paddington station while trying to get to work in Hampstead.

The 54-year-old said the situation was "chaos".

He added: "In Liverpool Street there were crowds of people and I was waiting for 20 or 30 minutes.

"I don't know how to get to work."

Indian restaurant worker Kundan Darla, 25, said: "I think it is bad, I am too late for work."

Meanwhile, droves of frustrated passengers gathered around the entrance to Waterloo station.

In a domino effect, the strike has caused delays on London's roads, affecting private cars, commercial vehicles and buses.

People waiting at a bus stop in Paddington


The level of road congestion was 71% at 8am, up from 64% a fortnight earlier, according to location technology firm TomTom.

The figures represent the proportion of additional time required for journeys compared with free-flow conditions.

Transport for London (TfL) said no plans have been tabled on pensions or terms and conditions, insisting that no one will lose their jobs because of the proposals it has set out.

As part of previous funding agreements, the government has required TfL to work towards achieving financial sustainability on its operations by April 2023.

TfL has proposed not recruiting into around 500 to 600 posts as they become vacant.

There were long queues for London buses


The RMT said that, under current proposals, working agreements will be torn up and the looming threat to pensions remains in place.

General secretary Mick Lynch said: "We are demanding a direct face-to-face meeting with mayor Sadiq Khan to sort this mess out.

"There's no point in our union continuing to sit opposite management representatives who have neither the inclination nor the authority to negotiate a settlement, when the power lies with the mayor."

RMT members on the Tube are also taking action short of a strike, meaning station staff might not work overtime, until Sunday 10 July, which may result in short notice station closures.

Elsewhere, half-term holidaymakers have faced more travel disruption after the jubilee weekend with British travellers stranded abroad due to flight cancellations.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The rise and fall of Hui Ka Yan, China’s richest man
Woke: Britain Considers Plain Packaging for Cigars as Specialist Shops Warn of Industry Collapse
Britain's Public-Service Productivity Remains Below 2019 as £80 Billion Output Gap Fuels WFH Debate
Mandelson Epstein Case in Jeopardy as U.S. Files Stay Out of Reach
Prince Harry and Six Others Ordered to Pay £9.5 Million After High Court Defeat
Bank of England Holds Interest Rate at 3.75% as Inflation and Energy Risks Persist
UK AI Security Tests Find Autonomous Agent Attempting Malicious Code Injection
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in Second Quarter Amid Global Pressures
UK Joins European Allies in Condemning Israeli Settlement Plans in West Bank E1 Area
Multiple People Killed in A66 Collision Near Middlesbrough Involving Police Vehicle
UK Government Holds First National Day for Victims and Survivors of Terrorism
UK Met Office Warns of Severe Autumn Storms as Strong El Niño Follows Historic Drought
Petrol Bombs Set Luxury Cars Alight Outside Birmingham Wedding as Police Hunt Three Men
Bitcoin Surges Toward $80,000 as Short Squeeze and ETF Inflows Ignite Crypto Rally
Prince Harry and Co-Claimants Ordered to Pay £9.5 Million Toward Daily Mail Publisher’s Legal Costs
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Reportedly Plan Return to Britain With Their Children
UK Court Ruling Threatens Deportation Plans for Potential Trafficking Victims to Albania
Kemi Badenoch Presses UK Government for Decisions on Rosebank and Jackdaw Oil Fields
UK Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Calls for Ban on Goods from Occupied West Bank
Andy Burnham Government to Place Civil Servants Directly in English Mayoral Offices
Met Office Warns Major El Niño Could Bring Stormier, Wetter Autumn to UK
UK Economy Gains Unexpected Momentum Ahead of Andy Burnham Government’s First Budget
Twenty-Nine US States Take Meta to Trial Over Alleged Child Addiction on Instagram and Facebook
Former Scottish National Party Executive Peter Murrell Jailed for Five Years Over £400,000 Embezzlement
Moderna and Merck's Personalized Cancer Vaccine Succeeds in Historic Late-Stage Melanoma Trial
Prince Harry and Meghan to Move Back to Britain With Their Children
England and Wales Have Fewer Than 1,800 Prison Places Left for Men
Royal Navy to Accelerate DragonFire Laser Deployment Against Growing Drone Threat
Northern Ireland Approves Five Hundred Million Pound Belfast Harbour Expansion
Great British Railways Takes Full Control of Avanti West Coast as Rail Nationalisation Reaches Final Stage
UK AI Safety Institute Calls for Mandatory Security Audits of Advanced AI Models
Scotland Secures Three Billion Pounds for Floating Offshore Wind Hub in Aberdeen
Government Overrides Local Councils to Approve Green Belt Housing Across Southern England
UK and EU Move Toward Mutual Recognition of Food Standards to Ease Cross-Channel Trade
Government Plans Multibillion-Pound Private Healthcare Expansion to Cut NHS Surgical Backlogs
Bank of England Signals Faster Rate Cuts as Inflation Falls Below the Two Percent Target
Suspected People Smuggler Arrested After Investigation Identified Him
Children's Doctors Warn That Vaping Can Lead Young People to Smoking
Hundreds of Thousands of Students Receive GCSE and Vocational Results Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Here Is What Can Never Happen in Your Country: Taiwan Is Giving Money to All Its People Because It Collected Too Much Tax
UK Inflation Rises to 2.9% as Energy Bills Jump
UK Issues New Conduct Guide for Asylum Seekers on Consent and Respect
Moderna Shares Surge After Positive Personalized Skin Cancer Trial Results
UK Markets Watch US National Debt Surpass Forty Trillion Dollars
UK Broadcasters Urge Government to Invest in Digital Participation and Broadband
CVC Capital Partners and Standard Life Launch Two Billion Pound Pension Risk Transfer Venture
UK Private Sector Productivity Growth Accelerates in Second Quarter
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband Condemns Israeli E1 Settlement Tender
UK Watchdog Investigates Trainline, Virgin Atlantic and RED Driving School Over Hidden Fees
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Plan Move to Private Home Outside London
×