London Underground set for full shutdown after RMT begins first full walkout since 2023

London Underground staff began a full-stage strike on Sunday, plunging Britain’s largest city into widespread transport disruption as limited services ran in the morning ahead of a planned complete shutdown from 6pm that will remain in place until about 8am on Friday, Sept. 12.

The action, led by the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), is the first full-network walkout since March 2023 and follows protracted talks over pay, working hours and conditions. Transport for London (TfL) has offered a 3.4% pay rise but said a union demand to cut the working week from 35 to 32 hours would be "unaffordable and impractical." TfL urged the RMT to return to talks to avert further disruption.

TfL director of customer operations for the Tube, Nick Dent, repeated an appeal for further negotiations, saying the authority had met the RMT four times in recent weeks and that it was not too late to call off the strikes and put the offer to members. The union, however, said the industrial action would proceed after members rejected management proposals.

The strike is expected to force large numbers of commuters onto buses, London Overground services and trams, and to increase road traffic across the capital. TfL warned alternative modes of transport would be "extremely busy." Some services that share tracks or stations with the Underground could be unable to call at certain stops because of crowding and operational constraints.

Signage at stations including High Street Kensington and Notting Hill Gate showed significant suspensions on Sunday, with notices indicating no Circle Line service and full suspensions on certain Bakerloo and Circle services while Metropolitan and Piccadilly services were partially affected.

Separately, the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), which serves east and southeast London, will be fully suspended on Tuesday and Thursday this week because of a separate dispute, adding to the pressure on commuters and TfL operations.

RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said members were seeking relief from "fatigue and extreme shift rotations" and improvements to staff travel arrangements, and stressed that workers were not seeking an excessive payout. "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," he said. "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."

The shutdown marks a return to large-scale industrial action on the Tube that last closed the entire network in March 2023 amid union unrest under then-RMT leadership. Commuters and businesses had hoped political intervention similar to January — when the mayor used Greater London Authority funds in an attempt to head off strikes — might avert a repeat this year, but talks have not produced a settlement.

TfL has been balancing constrained budgets with operational demands since the pandemic era, and the authority says it cannot absorb the costs associated with a shorter working week. The RMT and TfL said they would continue to engage in discussions, but both sides remained publicly entrenched in their positions as the shutdown began.

Passengers were advised to check TfL's live travel updates and to leave extra time for journeys. Businesses and schools in central London warned of disruption to staff and deliveries as the capital adjusted to the reduced rail capacity over the coming days.