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The RMT has planned a 48 hour February Tube strike on the London Underground but when is it and what will be closed?

The Tube Strike is planned to start at 20:59 on Saturday the 6th of February and end at 20:59 on Monday the 8th. **Update 05/02/16: The Tube strike has been suspended after RMT claims they have made “significant progress” in talks with London Underground bosses. A spokesperson said,
“[That] has enabled us to now suspend all industrial action in the station staffing dispute. The breakthrough has been secured through the solidarity of the workforce and their willingness to take industrial action to defend jobs and safety.”
  **Update 05/02/16: Seven more strikes have been announced. Tube maintenance workers are going to walk out on Friday the 12th of February with six more to be planned running up to June. The Tube maintenance staff are part of a row over “basic safety issues”.** **Update 04/02/16: The details of what will happen during the 48 hour Tube strike are a bit… vague. TfL announced today that Tube services would be running on the London Underground but some Tube stations may be closed while others might open late or close early. Services on London Overground, DLR and TfL Rail will run as normal but will probably be busier than usual. ** For those of you keeping track, there were already two more tube strikes organised for later in February. These original strikes were part of the ongoing disputes surrounding the Night Tube and have now been suspended. In fact it looks like were closer than ever to seeing a final agreement. This new strike for the 6th is about something else. The RMT union has called for action because of ticket office closures and job losses, driven by budget cuts. They’ve warned that because of the cuts, safety on the tube will be jeopardised. The walkout of thousands of station staff will only involve station staff.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said about the strike:

‘The union demands to LUL on its Fit for the Future Stations programme are simple – no imposed rosters, no short notice duty changes and no imposition of new framework agreements.

‘RMT will be attending the talks but with the clock ticking we are making it crystal clear that if there’s any dragging of heels we will be calling for an immediate reference to Acas.

‘With surging Tube demand, and against a background of chronic overcrowding, the union cannot and will not sit back while safety-critical jobs, that are the eye and ears of the service, are ripped away from our stations.’

How can I travel in London during the strikes?

Although the Tube is a great way to get around London there are a number of other quick and easy ways to get around the Capital city when Tube strikes happen. Bus – TfL will be putting extra buses into operation, so for most people they will be the best alternative. And with our free mobile app, Bus Times London, you can plan a route from locations or bus stops, get live departure times on all London bus stops and get a clear picture with map views. Tube Map – Don’t worry, we’re not going crazy. The DLR, Overground and TfL Rail are all running and if you’ve got a connection then real-time routing will work out routes that navigate around the closures. And of course the Line Status will be your first port of call if it gets to Saturday and you’re still unsure what’s running or not. So Tube Map is still an essential app during the strikes. Train – All National Rail stations are set to be open as normal with no changes to services. With Underground stations closing however, you can at least expect stations to be busier than usual. It’s also possible the knock-on effect will lead to late trains so keep an eye on the myTrains app for real-time schedule information direct from National Rail Enquiries. Taxi – If all else fails there’s always Uber’s taxi service that lets you book, ride and pay all through your mobile phone. If you’re new to Uber click the link to see why over 1 billion trips have been made using their handy app.

How can I keep track of what’s happening?

If you want to keep an eye on the news as it happens, be sure to follow us on Twitter for the latest updates. @TubeMapLondon We’ll also be posting to Facebook as well. Click the link for more tips on how to avoid underground chaos during a Tube strike.

Sources: Metro, The Guardian, Evening Standard

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