London Tube strikes LIVE: Which lines are still running and when will walk-out end?

Lydia Dunne, 33, originally from London, had organised a marketing event today, but the turnout was around half of what she had expected because of the Tube strike.

She said: ‘The turnout was around 50% of what it would have been without the strike. Some people said they cannot make it.’

When asked how she felt about the drivers’ strike, Lydia said she is ‘on the drivers’ side.’

‘It’s super reasonable for them to worry that the arrangement might not be voluntary one day and put their foot down,’ she said, referring to TfL’s assurance that the proposed four day working week at the heart of the dispute would be voluntary.

‘Corporations and governments lie all the time.’

Lydia had pre-booked her Lime bike from Liverpool Street to her hotel in Shoreditch around the corner.

‘Otherwise it’s impossible to get one,’ she said, pointing to the nearly empty bike parking area on Bishopsgate Plaza.

Yellow crowd control barriers have been set up at Liverpool Street Underground station to funnel passengers.

It seems to be working, with entry and exit flow of people being kept separate reducing the chaos of previous strikes.

While the barrier is helping passengers, staff at Lola’s Cupcakes separated by it said it is possible that footfall might have been impacted by it today as some people need to walk all the way around to reach them.

A sea of Lime bikes parked outside the station entrance, ready for commuters braving the unstable London weather. The forecast is predicting more rain at 5pm and 22mph winds making the temperature feel more like 15C.

For commuters in Richmond, strike days may start to look a little different.

Lime bikes are being phased out in the borough and being replaced with Forest.

E-bikes are a popular way of getting around when the Tubes aren’t running, and Richmond Council claims the new provider is bringing lower prices, more bikes and a service designed around what people told us they wanted.’

Metro is at Liverpool Street station, where things appears to be calm before storm ahead of rush hour.

TfL staff, who declined to give their names, said the first strike day has not been ‘too bad’ with crowds.

‘It’s a little bit busier, but not too bad. But the peak is still to come,’ they said.

Ashley, 34, who was waiting for her cousin at the station’s Elizabeth line entrance, had travelled from Durham for the launch of an LGBTQ magazine and to see a comedian.

She only heard about the strike on her way in on the train.

She said: ‘I was a little bit stressed about it, but it has been completely fine, absolutely no disruption.

‘I took the Tube from King’s Cross to Moorgate and walked from there in the rain. We are staying in Hackney but haven’t planned yet how we will travel there.

‘I’m travelling again on Thursday so will see how it is.’

Commuters already face agonising journeys home, with every Tube line operating with delays, part or full suspensions, except the Jubilee line – which is running a normal service.

And to add insult to injury, last week’s heatwave is long forgotten as thunderstorms rattle the capital, soon to give way to hail.

One person at Heathrow Airport said it was the worst storm they had experienced in 25 years.

Their experience is matched by radars that showed rain falling at a rate of more than 32mm/hour in multiple areas including Heathrow, Gatwick, Southampton, Maidstone and Oxfordshire.

Public transport can often be affected by bad weather conditions, meaning services which aren’t involved in today’s strikes could be impacted.

All London Overground lines are running as normal, TfL has said.

The Lioness line was part suspended for several hours today, but services have now returned to normal.

It comes after a signal failure affecting the Elizabeth line was resolved.

Fewer people are heading into the centre of town, data by Virgin Media’s O2 network has shown.

A Virgin Media O2 spokesperson said: ‘As Tube strikes take place across London, our mobility data shows footfall is down across some of the city’s busiest areas, including the City, Westminster and King’s Cross.

‘The figures provide a real-time snapshot of how London responds when major transport disruption hits.

‘Whether people are working from home, changing their commute or staying closer to where they live, reliable mobile and broadband connectivity plays an increasingly important role in keeping people connected throughout the day.’

If you need to travel to or from London Marylebone station today, brace for severe delays and cancellations.

Chiltern Railways trains between Marylebone, Sudbury Hill and Harrow Road could be cancelled or delayed by up to 50 minutes.

The culprit? A pesky signalling system fault – the second one today after a signal meltdown on the Elizabeth line route.

The disruption is expected at least until 6pm, spelling a difficult rush hour for commuters.

In a blow to commuters, the Elizabeth Line suffered a points failure at Slough earlier today, causing severe delays between Paddington and Heathrow Terminal T5 and T4, and Reading.

This has now been resolved, and there is a good service operating on the line.

The disruption had nothing to do with the strike and the line has proven a lifeline as it is not affected by RMT walk-outs.

Today’s walk-out is due to end at 11.59pm, with services expected to resume as normal tomorrow.

But another day of strikes is scheduled for Thursday.

This will usher in another 24 hours of disrupted services, starting just after midnight.

Here is how the situation looked at Earl’s Court earlier today, giving a taste of what is to come during the evening rush hour.

Travel between Heathrow and central London is facing more turmoil today, just days after all trains to and from the airport ground to a halt on Saturday because of flooding.  

Today, the roads near the airport are blocked after a crash on the M4 westbound near Heathrow, with National Highways warning of two-hour delays between J1 and the closure at J3. There is currently no estimated time for reopening.

The Piccadilly line is out of action because of the Tube strike, with the route suspended between Heathrow Terminal T4 and T5 and Arnos Grove today.  

Meanwhile, the rail options – the Elizabeth line, Great Western Railway and Heathrow Express – have severe delays because of a signal fault. Service is expected to resume by 1.30pm.  

So, what options are there?

• Rail – Try and catch an Elizabeth line, GWR or Heathrow Express train, but there might be delays, cancellations or revisions 

• Road – Take your chance with a local bus or taxi. However, these might be affected by the M4 closure and might be on diversion routes 

Here is a handy roundup of which lines are affected and their travel status today and on the second strike day on Thursday. 

Strikelists braved the wet conditions this morning after a night of torrential rain in the capital, which continued until the rush hour.

On Tower Hill, the cycle lane has been closed for a couple of week during roadworks.

While a diversion had been set up with ramps, the flooded road and busy traffic made it slightly chaotic for cyclists this morning.

A sideways traffic sign warning of the cycle lane closure added to the disarray.

London hospitality is bracing for the impact of the 48 hours of Tube strikes this week.  

In April, business owners around Liverpool Street told Metro their takings were down as many commuters worked from home.

Champa Magesh, the managing director of Access Hospitality, an industry analyst, said: ‘We’ve seen from previous strikes just how significant the impact can be on hospitality businesses, with bookings dropping by 67%. 

‘The upcoming strikes are during a key trading window for hospitality, so it’s vital that businesses prepare now to minimise the risk of no-shows, cancellations and fewer walk-ins. With the right communication processes, flexible booking options and strong use of data, teams can react quickly and reduce the commercial fallout of the upcoming strike.’

The Elizabeth line is a lifeline to many during the Tube walkouts as it is not included in the strikes and services are running as normal.

However, services are set to be rammed as people flock to the few routes which are operating.

The Elizabeth line status shows it is currently experiencing severe delays between Paddington and Heathrow Terminal T5 and T4, and Reading.

This has nothing to do with the strike – the latest TfL update and National Rail say it is caused by a points failure in Slough.

Meanwhile, the stretch between Paddington and Abbey Wood has minor delays.

National Rail warned that trains running between Paddington and Heathrow may be delayed by up to 20 minutes, cancelled or revised.

The issue is expected to last until 1pm.

Commuters seemed to have forgotten how traffic lights work during rush hour at the Westminster Bridge junction, making life more difficult for each other.

While the majority of riders and pedestrians waited patiently, some commuters jumped the gun at the traffic lights near Big Ben. 

Metro saw riders weave through the red lights, while pedestrians did the same when the light was green for cyclists as people hurried to get away from the drizzle.

The strikelists are back as the first Tube strike day rolls on, and not even rainy London weather could hold them back.

The display on the Embankment cycle superhighway showed 2,576 riders had passed the spot by 8.30am.

In the year to date, 436,741 cyclists have whizzed past the display.