Tube strikes set to be even worse on day 3 with rain predicted to batter the streets

London is bracing itself for the third day of strike action on the Underground network, with commuters resorting to extreme measures to get to work.

The strike has entered its third day after grinding the capital to a halt – long queues for already packed buses, a scramble for taxis, Ubers and the Elizabeth line, and cycle lanes rammed with ‘strikelists.’

This morning, almost all Tube lines remain closed after some patchy service resumed on the Piccadilly and Northern lines yesterday, although trains had to skip some stations due to staff availability.

And there is more misery in store for commuters queueing up for rammed buses as rain has been forecast in London for most of today.

Matt, 41, who works in construction and normally comes to London three or four days out of the week, told Metro he will walk from Liverpool Street station to his office in west London as no Lime bikes were available.

‘We’re lucky to have an office in Essex,’ he tells Metro, holding two coffee cups of coffee to power him for his journey ahead.

‘But we have a meeting in West London today that I’m going to walk to. We’ve had to completely cancel some other things this week which has messed us up. 

‘We haven’t been able to get in… today was the first day I even bothered trying,’ he adds.

‘It sounds like everybody is just walking, so that’s what I’m going to do. I thought about getting a Lime Bike, but they’re all going to be taken.’

Mandy Charlton, who is known as Mandy the TikTok mum on social media and was travelling in the capital for work, said her four-mile Uber journey in London yesterday cost £38 as the roads were clogged up and her car took ’45 minutes to crawl across the city.’

Major roads into London like the A20, M4, A4, A13 and M11 are expected to be busy today with commuters opting for cars and taxis to get into the capital from the city’s outskirts.

Some commuters found respite from the travel stress by hopping on the River Thames boats when the weather was still sunny.

What lines have no service today?

Here are the Tube lines that are suspended today with no service:

• Bakerloo
• Central
• Circle
• District
• Hammersmith & City
• Jubilee
• Metropolitan
• Northern
• Piccadilly
• Victoria
• Waterloo & City

Docklands Light Railway travel status today:

• DLR has no service between Bank and Shadwell due to the strike, while the rest of the line has severe delays

And here is the latest Overground status:

• Mildmay – Part closure with no southbound service from Willesden Junction to Shepherds Bush until 6.15am
• Suffragette – Reduced service with 5.48am and 6.24am trains between Barking Riverside and Gospel Oak cancelled
• The rest of the Overground lines have good service

The Elizabeth line is expected to run, but stations are likely to be busy.

What TfL services are running today?

Most of the Elizabeth line is set to run again today, along with the buses and Overground trains, but services are expected to be busy.

The Elizabeth line was briefly not stopping at Whitechapel station this morning, which took some passengers by surprise. Trains are now calling at Whitechapel station too.

One passenger said Paddington station this morning was ‘carnage.’

Wet weather could make journeys – and queueing outside – trickier today.

Met Office has forecast rain until at least 8pm tonight across Greater London, with some heavier downpours predicted this afternoon.

Why is the strike happening?

The strikes are going ahead after the talks between the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) and TfL have stalled. RMT members are calling for a 32-hour working week after ‘long-term health effects from working extreme shifts and fatigue.’

RMT has said the shift patterns have become unsustainable for staff, with 4am starts and 1am finishes, coupled with 2,000 fewer Tube staff.

TfL has said the shorter working week is ‘neither practical and affordable,’ and it has offered a 3.4% pay increase instead.

Commuters and London leaders have urged RMT and TfL to reach an agreement soon.

One frustrated commuter told TfL to give the staff ‘whatever they want man, I’m having a horrific morning.’

Eddie Dempsey, the general secretary of RMT, said his members are ‘absolutely furious’ over TfL’s handling of their demands.

He said that the union ‘took no pleasure’ in disrupting people’s lives but that there is a ‘crisis in industrial relations’.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@usnewsrank.com.

For more stories like this, check our news page.