London Underground set for full shutdown as first Tube strike since 2023 begins

London’s Tube network faced major disruption Sunday as transport workers launched the first full-stage strike on the Underground since 2023, with limited services running before a planned complete shutdown from 6 p.m. that will continue until about 8 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 12.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) is staging the action in a dispute over pay and conditions, demanding a cash pay increase and a reduction in weekly working hours from 35 to 32. Transport for London (TfL) has offered a 3.4% pay rise and said a reduction in working hours would be "unaffordable and impractical." TfL said limited services were operating on Sunday but warned that the entire network would be closed from 6 p.m. as the walkout continues.

Nick Dent, TfL's director of customer operations for the Tube, said the authority had held multiple meetings with the union in recent weeks and urged the RMT to call off the strikes and present TfL's offer to members. "We have met four times in the past two weeks and we would welcome further talks. It is not too late to call off the strikes and put our offer to the RMT members," Dent said on Friday.

RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said the union's demands reflected concerns over fatigue, shift patterns and staff travel arrangements. "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," Dempsey said when announcing the strikes. "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."

Signs at stations including High Street Kensington and Notting Hill Gate showed cancellations and suspensions on multiple lines on Sunday, with the Circle and Bakerloo lines among those affected and parts of the Metropolitan and Piccadilly lines also reporting partial suspensions. TfL warned that alternative services — buses, London Overground and trams — would be extremely busy and that some surface rail services could be unable to call at stations normally shared with the Underground.

The planned shutdown marks the first time the entire London Underground has been closed since March 2023, when a network-wide stoppage led by then-RMT leadership brought significant disruption. Commuters and businesses had hoped a similar intervention to prevent strikes, such as the emergency funding used by the Greater London Authority earlier in the year, might avert this action, but no settlement was reached.

The DLR (Docklands Light Railway) will also be affected by separate industrial action, with TfL saying it expects that DLR services will be stopped entirely on Tuesday and Thursday of the coming week. TfL advised commuters to plan ahead, work from home where possible and allow extra travel time if journeys were unavoidable.

Union sources said the RMT would continue to push for talks aimed at a revised offer, while TfL said it remained open to further negotiations. The dispute follows months of friction over pay, staffing levels and rostering across London’s transport network and comes as city businesses and commuters prepare for a week of constrained travel and likely increased surface congestion.

Transport chiefs and city officials have not announced emergency measures beyond advising the public to seek alternatives and expect longer journey times. Retailers and employers in central London warned that the disruption could affect footfall and operations through the week if the full shutdown proceeds as scheduled.