London Underground to be disrupted by strikes, as Coldplay forced to reschedule shows

Credit: Transport for London

Passengers across London face significant travel disruption from 7th – 11th  September after the RMT union announced rolling strike action on the Underground. The walkouts, beginning on Friday 5 September, come amid a long-running dispute over pay, fatigue management, extreme shift patterns, and reductions in the working week.

Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed that the Elizabeth line, London Overground, and trams will still be available during the strikes, as their employees operate under a different union. Despite the services running normally, they are expected to be extremely busy.

Why is the London Underground going on strike? 

The RMT said management’s refusal to address staff concerns or honour previous agreements had fuelled anger and distrust among its members, who voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action. In addition, workers on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) will stage separate strikes during the same week, compounding the impact on the capital’s transport network.

RMT General Secretary Eddie Dempsey said: “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. 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. Coupled with the fact there are outstanding issues around staff travel arrangements, an atmosphere of distrust has been created, where our members feel like no one is listening to them.”

The planned strike timetable will see different grades of staff walking out on separate days, ranging from fleet engineers and station staff to signallers and control room operators. The action is expected to bring large parts of the Underground to a standstill.

One high-profile casualty of the strikes is Coldplay’s sold-out Wembley Stadium run. The band confirmed it has been forced to reschedule its final two concerts, originally planned for 7 and 8 September. Event licences cannot be granted for nights without Tube services, as Wembley requires safe transport for more than 80,000 fans.

The Sunday 7 September concert will now take place on Saturday 6 September, while the Monday 8 September show moves to Friday 12 September. All tickets remain valid for the new dates, with refunds available to those unable to attend. Any returned tickets will go on sale from 11am BST on Wednesday 3 September, exclusively via Ticketmaster.

Coldplay apologised for the inconvenience, noting that the decision was unavoidable. 

Which London Underground lines will be affected by the strike

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