London Underground network to shut after RMT begins first full walkout since 2023

London Underground staff began a full-stage walkout on Sunday, triggering a complete shutdown of the Tube network from 6 p.m. that evening until about 8 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 12, after the RMT union pressed ahead with industrial action over pay and working hours.

Transport for London said limited services ran on Sunday morning but the whole network would be closed from 6 p.m. as the dispute continued. TfL has offered a 3.4% pay increase but rejected the union's demand to reduce the working week from 35 hours to 32, calling such a cut "unaffordable and impractical." The RMT says members seek a cash pay rise and reduced hours to address fatigue and intense shift patterns.

Nick Dent, TfL's director of customer operations for the Tube, appealed to the RMT to call off the strikes and said the parties had met four times in the preceding two weeks. "We would welcome further talks. It is not too late to call off the strikes and put our offer to the RMT members," he said. The RMT said management had failed to address longstanding concerns about fatigue, shift rotations and staff travel arrangements, contributing to an atmosphere of distrust.

RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey, announcing the action last month, said workers were not seeking a "King's ransom" but stressed that extreme shift rotations were harming members' health and wellbeing. The union said it would continue to engage with London Underground management to seek a revised offer and reach a negotiated settlement.

The shutdown is the first time the entire London Underground network has been closed since March 2023. Commuters and businesses are preparing for increased pressure on other transport modes: TfL warned that buses, the London Overground, trams and Docklands Light Railway services were likely to be extremely busy, and that some services could be unable to stop at stations shared with the Tube because of crowding. The DLR will also be suspended entirely on Tuesday and Thursday in a separate dispute.

Retailers, leisure venues and other businesses in central London and around major interchange hubs said they expected lost footfall and logistical disruption over the strike week. Employers with office-based staff were advising staggered start times, remote working where possible and alternative travel plans to reduce peak demand. Economists and city analysts noted that repeated transport disruption can depress short-term consumer spending in affected areas and raise costs for firms that rely on timely staff movements.

The strike also raises fresh questions about TfL's finances and contingency planning. In January this year, Mayor Sadiq Khan and the Greater London Authority used a £30 million fund to avert strike action; that intervention is not being repeated for the current dispute. TfL has said it continues to prioritise talks but maintained that the proposed hours reduction would not be sustainable without significant additional cost.

Passengers encountering closed stations on Sunday reported quieter-than-normal platforms and signage indicating suspended services on the Circle and Bakerloo lines, with partial suspensions on the Metropolitan and Piccadilly lines. TfL advised passengers to check travel updates before setting out and to expect longer journey times.

Both sides indicated a willingness to continue discussions. TfL reiterated an invitation to resume talks and put the existing offer to members, while the RMT said it remained open to negotiation if management presented a revised proposal addressing pay, hours and staff travel.

The weeklong shutdown follows a period of intensified talks and public positioning by both parties. Londoners and businesses will be watching whether renewed negotiations yield a settlement before the scheduled end of the week’s action and to what extent the disruption will affect economic activity across the capital.