London transport news: Train strike travel chaos as RMT announces two 48-hour Overground walkouts

Many of London's busiest commuter routes are being crippled on Tuesday as train drivers stage another strike.

Members of Aslef are launching a wave of fresh walkouts in a long-running dispute over pay.

Drivers are on strike at Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, Thameslink, South Western Railway and Great Northern.

South Western Railway has urged passengers to only travel if "absolutely necessary" on Tuesday, warning that a significantly reduced service will operate on a limited number of lines.

Aslef's general secretary Mick Whelan says some drivers have not had a pay rise for almost five years and accused the Government of "giving up" trying to resolve the row.

The strikes were expected to be the first test of the minimum service levels legislation, aimed at ensuring train operators could run 40% of services - but none of the train companies are using the new law.

In a further blow to London travellers, the RMT has announced two 48-hour strikes on the London Overground, on February 19 and March 4.

Meanwhile commuters on the London Underground are facing fresh disruption with the Central Line suspended between North Acton and Ealing Broadway due to a points failure. The Tube's busiest line is once again suffering severe delays due to a shortage of trains.

Key Points

• Aslef trains drivers launch fresh walkout

• Trains run by Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, Thameslink, South Western Railway and Great Northern severely disrupted

• Central Line suspended between North Acton and Ealing Broadway due to a points failure

• RMT announces two 48-hour strikes on the London Overground, on February 19 and March 4

Good morning

Tuesday 30 January 2024 06:49 , Jordan King

Hello and welcome to The Evening Standard's coverage of London travel on January 30.

Stay with us for the live updates on train delays, Tube line statuses and major road news.

Today is the first day of the Aslef walkout

Tuesday 30 January 2024 06:52 , Jordan King

Today is the first day of Aslef's industrial action.

Train drivers who are members of the union will stop work region-by-region from today until February 5.

Today's strike will affect:

• Gatwick Express

• Great Northern

• South Western Railway (including Island Line)

• Southeastern

• Southern

• Thameslink

How will today's strike affect you?

Tuesday 30 January 2024 06:54 , Jordan King

Regular Southern, Gatwick Express, Thameslink or Great Northern services will not be running today.

Instead, there will be a "very limited shuttle service" on the following routes:

• Southern shuttle service calling at Gatwick Airport and London Victoria only

• Thameslink shuttle service calling at London St Pancras International, Luton Airport Parkway and Luton only

• Thameslink shuttle service calling at London Kings Cross and Cambridge only

If you use South Western Railway lines:

Tuesday 30 January 2024 06:59 , Jordan King

South Western Railway has urged passengers to only travel if "absolutely necessary" on Tuesday, warning that a significantly reduced service will operate on a limited number of lines.

The operator also warned that customers should try to avoid using the last trains of the day, as these services are expected to be extremely busy.

You can see a breakdown of available South Western Railway services here.

If you use Southeastern lines:

Tuesday 30 January 2024 07:05 , Jordan King

There are no Southeastern services running today, meaning there are no trains or replacement buses.

The operator has told customers: "You cannot travel".

Central Line part suspended

Tuesday 30 January 2024 07:10 , Jordan King

No service between North Acton and Ealing Broadway due to a points failure at North Acton.

There are severe delays on the rest of the line due to a shortage of trains.

Bank Underground station has reopened

Tuesday 30 January 2024 07:22 , Jordan King

Bank Underground station was closed due to the unavailability of station staff but it is now open again.

A recap on why train drivers are on strike:

Tuesday 30 January 2024 07:46 , Jordan King

Aslef says many of its members have not had a pay increase for half a decade, despite these years seeing soaring inflation and a cost-of-living crisis.

This, on top of concerns about conditions, is the reason for what is now a long-running dispute.

Train companies, represented by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), made an offer last April but this was rejected by Aslef.

At the time, the union said: "The proposal – of just 4% – was clearly not designed to be accepted as inflation is still running north of 10% and our members at these companies have not had an increase for four years.

"The RDG, in turn, rejected our proposals to modernise Britain’s railways and help them run more efficiently, for passengers and for businesses, in the 21st century."

The RDG said: “Despite the railway’s huge financial challenge, drivers have been made an offer which would take base salaries to nearly £65,000 for a four-day week without overtime – that is well above the national average and significantly more than many of our passengers that have no option to work from home are paid.”

Aslef has since said the offer was made by the RDG "with the intention of it being rejected".

It also says the RDG "refuses to come back to the negotiating table" and has "left drivers with no choice but to continue with inudstrial action".

Waterloo station in pictures

Tuesday 30 January 2024 08:08 , Jordan King

Waterloo station was almost empty this morning, as commuters were unable to get trains into London.

Minor delays on the Piccadilly Line

Tuesday 30 January 2024 08:22 , Jordan King

There are minor delays between Acton Town and Uxbridge due to a shortage of trains.

There is a good service on the rest of the line.

Fresh strike announced by London Overground rail workers

Tuesday 30 January 2024 08:31 , Jordan King

More than 300 members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) will walk out for 48 hours on February 19 and again on March 4.

Security, station, revenue and control staff are among those taking industrial action.

The RMT said that Arriva Rail London (ARL), which has the contract on London Overground, has offered a below inflation pay offer.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “London Overground workers do an important job delivering services for Transport for London and supporting passengers on journeys throughout London.

“Our members are furious that they have been given a below inflation pay offer and want to see an improvement that represents the value they bring to the company.

“If this dispute cannot be resolved then RMT is more than prepared for a sustained period of industrial action to get London Overground workers the pay rise they deserve.”

Rail services are already being affected by a nine-day ban on overtime by Aslef members which started on Monday.

Disruption to London Overground services to and from Liverpool Street

Tuesday 30 January 2024 08:40 , Jordan King

The disruption is expected until 09:45am.

Table showing which rail lines are affected by industrial action on which day

Tuesday 30 January 2024 08:44 , Jordan King

What is the new minimum service levels legislation?

Tuesday 30 January 2024 08:51 , Jordan King

Last July, during one of the biggest waves of public sector industrial action for a generation, the Government introduced minimum service levels legislation.

It allows employers to order staff to come into work during strike action to ensure minimum service levels are met.

For rail workers, this means they have to be able to ensure that at least 40 per cent of services will run.

But the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) said it will use the Human Rights Act to challenge the new law.

They said it will argue this contravenes the right to strike enshrined in Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Read more here.

Waterloo station was still full of commuters this morning

Tuesday 30 January 2024 08:57 , Jordan King

If you're using a Greater Anglia train today:

Tuesday 30 January 2024 09:14 , Jordan King

Some lines are blocked because of a broken down train at Witham and disruption is expected "until further notice".

You can check alterations to your specific journey here.

London Overground services to and from Liverpool Street back to normal

Tuesday 30 January 2024 09:20 , Jordan King

These services were disrupted because of a passenger being taken ill onboard earlier today.

Delays were expected until 9.45am but lines are now open and functioning as regularly again.

All Greater Anglia lines are now open but disruption should still be expected

Tuesday 30 January 2024 10:24 , Jordan King

Following an earlier broken down train at Witham all lines have now reopened.Normal services will be provided as soon as possible.

Problems with a train's brakes brought the 07:55am Liverpool Street to Norwich at a standstill on the approach to Witham station.

It ended up blocking the line for other train services to pass.

But the driver has now managed to clear the faults on the train and the train has now been able to move into the station.However due to congestion and delays caused, some services may still be cancelled or altered.

Piccadilly Line no longer delayed

Tuesday 30 January 2024 10:37 , Jordan King

The Piccadilly Line was experiencing minor delays but is now operating a good service.

Greater Anglia disruption cleared

Tuesday 30 January 2024 10:58 , Jordan King

There was some fallout from when the 7.55am Liverpool Street to Norwich train had issues with its brakes and broke down at Witham, but the disruption has finally cleared.

Minor delays on the Piccadilly Line again

Tuesday 30 January 2024 11:00 , Jordan King

The Piccadilly Line is back to being delayed, after operating a good service for a few hours this morning.

Many commuters pressed ahead with travel this morning

Tuesday 30 January 2024 11:14 , Jordan King

Train drivers belonging to Aslef walked out at South Western Railway, Southern and Thameslink in the latest stage of a 20-month battle to win a pay rise.

But at Waterloo, the main terminus for South Western Railway, there was a steady flow of passengers arriving in the morning rush hour after the train firm was able to run a limited service from towns such as Woking, Feltham and Basingstoke.

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan, who was on a picket line at Waterloo, insisted the strike was still having an impact.

He told the Standard: “This is one of the busiest stations in the country, and there would have been 20 to 30 times that amount [of passengers] on a normal day.

“We know from the feedback we have had around the rest of the southern region that a lot of services are not running.”

Read more here.

Government 'disappointed' that rail operators are not using new minimum service level laws

Tuesday 30 January 2024 11:55 , Jordan King

Housing Minister Lee Rowley told Sky News: “Arguably I hope that they would, and what I think the Prime Minister said (is) he's disappointed that they're not using them.

“Ultimately it’s for the rail operators to decide but those laws are there across a number of sectors to make sure that when strikes happen, that people are not inconvenienced more than they need to be,” he said.

“And ultimately, none of this would be necessary if the unions didn't call unnecessary strikes.”

To read more about the new minimum service level legislation, click here.

Disruption between Tottenham Hale and Cheshunt

Tuesday 30 January 2024 11:57 , Jordan King

The disruption is expected until further notice.

Housing minister says 'unions do not need to strike'

Tuesday 30 January 2024 12:30 , Jordan King

Central Line still part suspended

Tuesday 30 January 2024 12:39 , Jordan King

The Central Line is still partially suspended, with no service between North Acton and Ealing Broadway due to a points failure at North Acton.

There are severe delays elsewhere on the line.

Piccadilly Line no longer delayed

Tuesday 30 January 2024 13:46 , Jordan King

The Piccadilly Line was facing minor delays but has now returned to running a good service.

If you are affected by the disruption at Ponders End:

Tuesday 30 January 2024 13:51 , Jordan King

You can use their tickets onboard the following services at no additional cost:

• London Buses between Tottenham Hale and Seven Sisters / Cheshunt

• London Overground between London Liverpool Street and Cheshunt

• London Underground Victoria line services between Tottenham Hale and Seven Sisters

New last train times for South Western Railway customers

Tuesday 30 January 2024 14:58 , Jordan King

South Western Railway has told commuters their last trains will be earlier than usual today - because of industrial action.

Minor delays on the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan Lines

Tuesday 30 January 2024 15:15 , Jordan King

TfL has reported that the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan Lines are facing minor delays.

The Central Line is still partially suspended with severe delays elsewhere on the line.

Major engineering works at King's Cross next month

Tuesday 30 January 2024 16:06 , Josh Salisbury

Major engineering work will affect trains to/from London King's Cross on 10 and 11 Feb as well as all dates from Saturday 17 to Tuesday 20 February.

Passengers are warned some services will not run, for which there'll be an extremely limited rail replacement bus service that's likely to be very busy.

Affected routes are run by Great Northern and Thameslink. It is due to signal upgrades to the traditional lineside signals on the East Coast Main Line.

Details of affected routes are here.

Severe delays on the District line during rush hour

Tuesday 30 January 2024 17:02 , Josh Salisbury

There are severe delays on the District line during rush hour.

The service is severely delayed between Earl's Court and Tower Hill eastbound due to a faulty train at Earl's Court.

The rest of the line is not affected, said TfL.

Khan: I hope Overground strikes can be averted

Tuesday 30 January 2024 18:48 , Josh Salisbury

Sadiq Khan has said he is "hopeful" a resolution will be found to stop London Overground staff going on strike in February and March.

More than 300 security, control, station and revenue staff on the Overground are set to walk out for 48 hours on February 19 and for another 48 hours on March 4.

The London mayor said he hoped the strikes can be averted, telling the Standard: "I’m always keen to encourage TfL to sit down with those that represent hard-working staff to resolve these things amicably.

"We know last year was a really tough year for inflation, really tough in relation to the cost of living crisis. So I understand why many of those working in the public sector are struggling to make ends meet."

Read more here.

How will today's walk-out affect services tomorrow?

Tuesday 30 January 2024 19:23 , Josh Salisbury

Today's walk-out is set to have knock-on consequences into Wednesday, affected train companies have warned.

The Aslef strike affected the Gatwick Express, Great Northern, South Western Railway, Southeastern, Southern, and Thameslink.

Here is what each has advised about knock-on disruption.

Gatwick Express

Gatwick Express services will not be running from today until Friday 2 February (inclusive), or on Monday 5 and Tuesday 6 February, as it is also affected by the overtime ban.

Great Northern

The company expects trains to be busier than usual, especially during peak hours. It’s likely you will need to queue, and you may not be able to board your chosen service

Southeastern

Southeastern says it plans to run a full service during this time, except for today, Tuesday 30 January, which is a strike day.

South Western

From Wednesday 31 January to Tuesday 6 February, train services will be subject to late-notice alterations and cancellations.

Southern

An amended timetable will be in place, with fewer services overall across the network.

Disruption on Southern services over engineering work

Tuesday 30 January 2024 20:26 , Josh Salisbury

Some Southern services are being disrupted tonight over engineering work.

The works affect services between London Victoria and Oxted.

As a result, the 23:53 London Victoria to Oxted service will terminate at East Croydon, said the train operating company. A replacement bus will run from East Croydon to Oxted.

Live coverage ends

Tuesday 30 January 2024 20:28 , Josh Salisbury

Our live coverage of today's travel disruption is now ending for this evening. Thank you for joining us.

We will be back tomorrow with more live coverage of the transport disruption, as the Aslef union continues its walkout on some train operating companies, alongside an overtime ban.