Tube strikes unleash ‘pure carnage’ on London: Commuter fury as drivers walkout in pay row – shutting the underground and bringing the capital to a standstill

London commuters say their week of ‘pure carnage’ has begun as the city’s Underground network grinds to a halt over a pay dispute.

Tube staff have launched a full walkout this morning in an RMT-led row with Transport for London (TfL) over pay and conditions, plunging the capital into travel chaos.

The union had demanded that its workers receive a boost to their pay packets, believed to be around £70,000 per year, as well as a reduction from a 35 hour working week to a four-day, 32 hour system.

They have also demanded that members receive a 75 per cent discount on all rail travel, despite already receiving benefits which entitle their loved ones to free travel across the entire London public transport system.

It is believed any moves to meet the RMT’s demands would cost around £200million – and that is before the huge discount on rail travel is even considered.

TfL, who have since tabled what they say is a ‘fair’ 3.4 per cent pay rise offer to the union’s members, said reducing working hours would be ‘simply unaffordable’.

But with the union and its members having gone full steam ahead with the walkout, the underground system looks set to be completely paralysed until Friday morning.

Images from across London this morning show closed off entrances to Underground stations and mammoth queues at bus stops as millions British workers look to fight tooth and nail to make their way into the city.

And many of them have called Sadiq Khan’s role into question – pondering why there has been ‘no sign or sound’ from the Mayor of London as British workers face disarray.

Many popular areas across the city normally packed with tourists and workers, such as London Bridge, will lie desolate over the coming week

Some commuters arrived at London Bridge this morning in confusion as they read the signs outlining the strike action

The strikes were launched yesterday with a limited service still operating, but today’s full-scale walkout is the first time the underground network has been entirely closed since March 2023. 

With travel disarray in sight, Nick Dent, TfL’s director of customer operations for the Tube, issued the RMT with a plea to stop the strikes.

He said on Friday: ‘We have met four times in the past two weeks and we would welcome further talks. It is not too late to call off the strikes and put our offer to the RMT members.’

Commuters had hoped a similar aversion would be deployed to that of last January, when Sadiq Khan used £30million of Greater London Authority funds to stop Tube workers from striking.

But with no solution in sight and a week of disruption ahead, many Britons have taken to social media to tell of their fury as they called the Mayor of London’s role into question.

One posted to X this morning that they had forgotten ‘all about the tube strikes’, adding: ‘Pure carnage on the roads until Friday.’

Another wrote: ‘Another bloody tube strike in London, TfL. Absolute nightmare.’

A third added: ‘No sign or sound from Mayor Khan about this tube strike. Absent from the airwaves – as always when there’s trouble.’

A page reading ‘Strike Action Impacts’ on TfL’s website shows the scale of the Tube disruption this week

RMT Union members have arrived on the picket line at London Bridge Underground Station today as their strike begins

London Bridge Underground Station is one of many across the city to have its entrance closed off this morning as the entire Tube network grinds to a halt

Massive queues have been seen at London Victoria bus station this morning as the Tube network is paralysed by strikes

Despairing commuters are now rushing to get buses into the city, which are expected to be extremely busy with workers

Conservative MP for Bexley and Sidcup, Louie French, said the Mayor was ‘missing in action’ in a post on X.

He wrote: ‘Millions of Londoners will be impacted by this week’s strike action. Labour’s union paymasters want more pay for less work for tube drivers already earning £65k plus. 

‘It’s the Labour way and Sadiq Khan is missing in action yet again, despite promising zero strikes.’

An RMT spokesperson said they ‘are not going on strike to disrupt small businesses or the public’.

They added: ‘This strike is going ahead because of the intransigent approach of TfL management and their refusal to even consider a small reduction in the working week in order to help reduce fatigue and the ill-health effects of long-term shift work on our members.

‘We believe a shorter working week is fair and affordable, particularly when you consider TfL has a surplus of £166 million last year and a £10 billion annual operating budget.’

However, Muniya Barua, Deputy Chief Executive at BusinessLDN, said the strikes would hit small businesses dramatically as she urged both the RMT and TfL to come to an ‘urgent’ agreement.

She said: ‘This is hugely frustrating for Londoners that rely on the Tube to get around the city. It will hit firms that rely on footfall especially hard, particularly those in hospitality, retail and the cultural sector.

Commuters have taken aim at the Mayor of London as they despair over the network shutdown

‘At a time when the economy is weak and firms are already reeling from a National Insurance hike, the economic cost of these strikes could run into hundreds of millions of pounds. It also sends a really poor message to visitors and investors.

‘We urge both sides to reach an agreement urgently and put an end to these damaging strikes.’

As Tube stations across the city lie desolate, workers will pack onto buses, the London Overground and trams – with roads also expected to be far busier than usual.

Travel expert Nicky Kelvin, editor-at-large at The Points Guy, told the Daily Mail: ‘For those commuters who are unable to avoid travelling during the strike days, I strongly advice to explore alternative transport options such as buses or even Lime bikes.

‘Commuters should also factor in potential ripple effects on the London Overground, as connecting stations will likely experience increased pressure. It’s a given that all remaining transport modes will face heightened demand, especially through morning and evening rush hours.’

Mr Kelvin added that it was important to ‘monitor real-time travel updates’ as well as on-the-ground reports from social media.

Docklands Light Railway (DLR) services, which run through east and southeast London, will also be stopped entirely on Tuesday and Thursday over a separate dispute.

TfL has advised that alternative means of transport look set to be ‘extremely busy’ as commuters try to find a way into the city.

Many workers are opting for Lime bikes to reach their destination as buses and alternative modes of transport are packed

Signs at High Street Kensington warning the public of ‘strike action impacts’ were displayed yesterday in anticipation of the strikes

They expect them to be so rammed that some services even face being unable to stop at stations shared with the London Underground. 

Announcing the strikes last month, RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said workers were ‘not after a ‘King’s ransom’.

He said: ‘Our members are doing a fantastic job to keep our capital moving and work strenuous shift patterns to make sure Londoners get to their destinations around the clock.

‘They are not after a King’s ransom, but fatigue and extreme shift rotations are serious issues impacting on our members health and wellbeing- all of which have not been adequately addressed for years by LU management.

‘Coupled with the fact there are outstanding issues around staff travel arrangements, an atmosphere of distrust has been created, where our members feel like no one is listening to them.

‘RMT will continue to engage LU management with a view to seeking a revised offer in order to reach a negotiated settlement.’