Londoners woke up to another day of disrupted commutes on Thursday, June 4, 2026, as drivers from the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union mounted picket lines outside Tube stations in the second 24-hour walkout this week. The strike, which began at 00:01 and is set to last until 23:59, follows failed negotiations between the RMT and Transport for London (TfL) over a new proposal to compress drivers’ working weeks into four longer days.
For many in the capital, such industrial action has become an all-too-familiar feature of city life, but today’s strike brought a particularly acute sense of déjà vu. Just two days earlier, on Tuesday, June 2, London Underground drivers had staged a similar walkout, causing widespread disruption and forcing commuters to seek alternative routes across the city. The dispute centers on TfL’s voluntary proposal for a four-day working week—a change that has sharply divided the city’s two main Tube driver unions.
According to TfL, the four-day week plan is strictly voluntary, with no reduction in contractual hours, and drivers who prefer to stick to the traditional five-day pattern are free to do so. Claire Mann, TfL’s chief operating officer, explained, “The changes would be voluntary, there would be no reduction in contractual hours and those who wish to continue a five-day working week pattern would be able to do so.” She added, “We still believe that the points they have raised can be worked out in time, through more detailed discussions and we are continuing to talk to the union’s representatives to find a way to avoid disruption to London.”
But the RMT union remains unconvinced. A spokesperson for the union said, “Despite our best efforts in ACAS talks, TfL have failed to provide assurances on our members’ deeply held concerns around fatigue, reduced flexibility, shift lengths and the impact these proposals could have in a safety-critical role like Tube driving. We remain available for meaningful talks, but strike action tomorrow will now go ahead.” The union’s main objections center on the potential for longer shifts, increased fatigue, and a loss of flexibility—issues they argue are especially serious given the safety-critical nature of driving Underground trains.
Notably, the rival Aslef union, which represents just over half of London’s Tube drivers, has accepted TfL’s four-day week proposal and its members are not participating in the strike. This has resulted in a patchwork of service across the network: while some lines are severely disrupted or shut down, others continue to operate, albeit with reduced frequency and capacity. On Thursday, no service was expected on the Circle line, Piccadilly line, the Metropolitan line between Baker Street and Aldgate, and the Central line between White City and Liverpool Street. Other lines, including the District, Bakerloo, and Northern, reported severe delays in the morning, while the Elizabeth line, London Overground, DLR, and tram services ran as normal—but were expected to be much busier than usual.
Heathrow Airport, a major hub for both domestic and international travelers, advised passengers via X (formerly Twitter) that rail replacement buses would be running in place of the Piccadilly line during affected times. The Heathrow Express and other bus services continued to operate as normal, though all services were expected to be busier due to the strike. The DLR, which serves London City Airport, was also operating, but officials warned that carriages would likely be crowded throughout the day.
For Londoners, the impact of the strikes was felt not just on the Underground but on the city’s streets and buses. With Tube services limited or suspended on major lines, buses became more crowded and delays increased as more commuters took to the roads. TfL advised passengers to check the latest status updates on its website or through the TfL Go app before setting out, and to complete journeys by 9pm. The organization also warned of limited service before 6:30am, and that normal service was expected to resume on Friday, June 5.
Despite the disruption, data from Tuesday’s strike suggests that a significant portion of the network remained operational. TfL reported that more than 60% of drivers worked on Tuesday, and Oyster and contactless card taps were only down by about 10% compared to a normal day. A spokesperson for TfL said, “We are grateful to our customers for their patience while they made their journeys on Tuesday in spite of the disruption on our network caused by the RMT’s industrial action. Oyster and contactless card taps were only down by around 10% across the whole day, showing that Londoners and visitors to the city were still able to travel despite the strike action.”
However, anonymized mobile data from Virgin Media O2 painted a slightly different picture: footfall in the City of London dropped by 16%, and Westminster saw an 11% decline compared to a typical Tuesday. Many Londoners opted to work from home or find alternative means of getting around, braving the city’s famously unpredictable weather in the process. The forecast for Thursday was marginally better, with only light rain showers expected throughout the day.
The dispute has been simmering for months, with rolling walkouts staged by the RMT throughout the spring. While strikes scheduled for June 16 and 18 were called off, the union pressed ahead with the June 2 and June 4 actions after last-ditch talks at ACAS broke down on Monday, June 1. No further talks have taken place since, though both sides have signaled a willingness to return to the negotiating table. According to The Guardian, “No further talks have taken place since negotiations at Acas ended without resolution on Monday.”
For now, Londoners are left to navigate the city’s patchwork of public transport options. The Elizabeth line, Overground, DLR, and London buses and trams are all running, but with the added strain of displaced Tube passengers. The situation has also raised questions for travelers heading to and from the city’s airports, with Heathrow, Gatwick, and London City all offering alternative routes but warning of increased demand and possible delays.
With no further strikes currently scheduled on the Underground, attention turns to the next round of talks between the RMT and TfL, expected next week. It remains to be seen whether a compromise can be reached over the four-day week proposal, or if Londoners should brace for more industrial action in the weeks to come. For now, the city continues to adapt, showing the resilience and ingenuity that has long defined life in the capital—even when the trains aren’t running on time.