London Tube strikes are still on next week — all the dates and info you need to survive the April, May and June disruptions

Bad news, Londoners: those Tube strikes that were floating around earlier this year are still very much on — and they’re stretching well into the summer now, too.

While planned walkouts in March were called off after last-minute talks, the same can’t (yet) be said for the upcoming action across April, May and June. So if you rely on the Underground, it’s time to start thinking a few journeys ahead.

The strikes involve drivers who are members of the RMT union, and centre on an ongoing dispute with London Underground over proposed changes to working patterns. The plan is to move drivers onto a four-day work week by compressing their hours — something the union has pushed back on, citing concerns around fatigue, safety and work-life balance.

As it stands, the following dates are affected, and getting around London in general may well be a bit of a nightmare. Note there's a little bit of complexity as to when the action starts and ends — although we wouldn't bet on things suddenly reverting to normal from 6am to 12pm each Thursday:

• April 21–22 (12pm Tuesday – 11:59am Wednesday)
• April 23–24 (12pm Thursday – 11:59am Friday)
• May 19–20 (12pm Tuesday – 11:59am Wednesday)
• May 21–22 (12pm Thursday – 11:59am Friday)
• June 16–17 (12pm Tuesday – 11:59am Wednesday)
• June 18–19 (12pm Thursday – 11:59am Friday)

It’s a fair chunk of midweek travel across the next couple of months.

The good news (relatively speaking) is that this isn’t expected to completely shut down the network. Transport for London is predicting a reduced service across most lines rather than a full stop. The bad news is that “reduced service” in London usually translates to packed platforms, longer waits and a bit of a free-for-all once you actually get on a train.

Other parts of the network — including the Elizabeth line, London Overground and DLR — are expected to run as normal. But, unsurprisingly, TfL has already warned they’ll be significantly busier as people look for ways around the disruption.

There is still a chance things could change. The March strikes were pulled following progress in talks, and negotiations are ongoing, so these dates aren’t completely set in stone just yet, although we would expect the April ones to go ahead.

The root issue of these strikes is a plan to take Tube drivers down to a four-day week. While Aslef union members agreed to these plans, the RMT has taken issue with them, citing concerns over safety regarding a compressed work week.

However, when you crunch the numbers, the drivers’ actual hours working each day aren’t that different. The plans would see drivers work eight and a half hours each day, but with a 30-minute paid break, which isn’t part of the current deal.

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