Last month, London was hit with tube strikes for the first time since September 2025. London Underground drivers belonging to the RMT union walked out for two 24-hour periods at the end of April, resulting in disruption across the entire network and neon crowds of Lime bikes on London’s roads as people sought alternative ways to get from A to B. We made it out the other side, but that was only round one.
Members of the RMT are striking on six occasions in total, over 12 days. Unionised staff voted in favour of the industrial action in response to a ‘compressed four-day working week’, which RMT argues will leave employees more fatigued and create a less safe working environment.
The next two walk-outs are happening next week. So, to make sure you’re prepared, here’s everything you need to know about getting around the capital city without the tube.
RECOMMENDED: Why are London tube drivers going on strike? What you need to know about industrial action in May.
What dates are the tube strikes in May 2026?
Industrial action will be taking place across four days this month. They are:
- May 19-20 (12pm Tues to 11.59am Weds)
- May 21-22 (12pm Thurs to 11.59am Fri)
After that, there’ll two more 24-hour strike periods in June:
- June 16-17 (12pm Tues to 11.59am Weds)
- June 18-19 (12pm Thurs to 11.59am Fri)
How to travel around London during the tube strikes
The Overground, DLR, Elizabeth line and most buses across the city will run as normal throughout the strike period. They will likely be a lot more busy than usual, but there shouldn’t be any changes to their timetables unless specified. Make sure to use TfL’s journey planner before you set off to make sure there have been no changes.
If you’re trying to get around east London on Friday, be aware that seven bus routes will be affected by driver strikes from 5am on Friday May 15 until 5am Saturday May 16. The impacted services are: 8, N8, 25, N25, 425, 205, N205.
Photograph: Abdul N Quraishi – Abs / Shutterstock.com
Which lines are affected?
When it comes to specific lines being completely down, here’s what you need to know:
- The Circle line will be down
- The Piccadilly line will not be running
- The Central line will be shut between White City and Liverpool Street
At the moment, TfL says that the rest of the entire tube network will be impacted by the strikes, though last month some lines ran at a reduced service. As a reminder, all the tube lines are:
- Bakerloo
- Central
- Circle
- District
- Hammersmith & City
- Jubilee
- Metropolitan
- Northern
- Piccadilly
- Victoria
- Waterloo & City
Will the Elizabeth line be running?
The Elizabeth line isn’t part of the Underground network, so it won’t be impacted by the industrial action and is a good alternative option for getting to where you need to go.
Will the Overground be running?
On the Overground, the Lioness, Weaver, Liberty, Mildmay, Windrush and Suffragette lines will all be running as usual all week, though they’re all likely to be much busier than normal.
Photograph: Shutterstock
How to reach key train stations during the strikes
Here’s how to reach important London rail hubs during the strikes.
King’s Cross-St Pancras
For Eurostar services and train routes across the UK from King’s Cross and St Pancras International, get a Thameslink service to St Pancras from Luton Airport Parkway, Gatwick airport, London Bridge, Blackfriars, City Thameslink, Waterloo East and more.
You can use the Elizabeth line to get to Farringdon, then get the Thameslink to King’s Cross
Paddington
Get to Paddington on the Elizabeth line.
Euston
Euston is walkable from several stations that will still have non-tube services running this week, such as King’s Cross, St Pancras and Tottenham Court Road (Elizabeth line).
Victoria
Victoria will be most easily reachable via bus. You can find all the buses that serve Victoria and its surrounding area on the TfL website here.
How to get to major London airports during the May 2026 tube strikes
Travel to Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted will be particularly severely impacted due to the strikes.
- The Circle line will be down, which serves Victoria station for the Gatwick Express and Liverpool Street for the Stansted Express.
- The Piccadilly line will not be running, which serves Heathrow.
- The Central line will be shut between White City and Liverpool Street, also impacting access to the Stansted Express.
You’ll still be able to get to Heathrow on the Elizabeth line, or via the Heathrow Express which runs from Paddington. The Gatwick Express will be running as normal (you can catch that from from Victoria station) as will Thameslink services to Gatwick from Blackfriars, Farringdon, City Thameslink, London Bridge and St Pancras. For Stansted, you can catch the Stansted Express from Liverpool Street or Tottenham Hale stations.
National Express coaches also run services to all of London’s major airports.
Is there any other travel disruption to be aware of?
As we mentioned, seven bus routes in east London are also on strike on Friday May 15. Find out more about those here.
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