London will be the focus for the latest strike action by British transport workers this week, with a virtual shutdown of underground rail services in the capital city on Friday and a limited overground service expected to run.

An added aspect to the chaos for both tourists and commuters is that it coincides with the first day of a 48-hour bus strike in London – a combination of industrial action that will effectively bring the transport system in one of Europe’s largest cities to a standstill at the height of the holiday season.

Travellers should avoid the London Underground

With Britain in the grip of industrial disputes on its transport networks – there will be further strike action across the country on August 18 and August 20 by 40,000 rail workers – the options for getting around London on Friday August 19 appear to be limited to taxis, river services, Santander Cycles or walking.

While travellers are urged to avoid the London Underground this Friday, operators hope to run a limited service in Zone 1, an area that covers many of the most popular museums and galleries, and the West End theatres; some of Tube lines, however, will be completely closed. The action by the RMT Union will also see around 400 Arriva Rail London staff walk out, meaning disruption across the entire overground service. 

The 48-hour bus strike will affect services in west and north west London, with both transport disputes over pay, and the industrial action on the railways also concerning job cuts and changes to workers’ terms and conditions.

Thursday and Saturday’s national rail strikes will see only around 20% of services run on both days, with some parts of the UK having no trains at all. Trains that are operating will start later and finish earlier, with a severely restricted timetable.