London ground to a halt on Monday as a coordinated five‑day walkout by RMT members crippled the Underground, leaving most Tube services suspended and sending millions scrambling for alternatives while the official transport site buckled under surging traffic. Commuters reported widespread failures accessing travel updates after the homepage threw repeated error messages, compounding early‑morning gridlock and prompting many offices to revert to remote work plans.
The shutdown escalated from limited Sunday operations to near‑total closures before 8am Monday, with all 11 Underground lines effectively unusable for most of the day and only sporadic trains expected, if any. A separate dispute is set to halt large sections of the Docklands Light Railway on Tuesday and Thursday, extending the pain beyond the Tube into east and southeast London.
Major entertainment fixtures have been forced to reshuffle. Coldplay moved the last two nights of its Wembley run—shifting the 7 September date to 6 September and the 8 September show to 12 September—arguing that safely moving more than 80,000 fans without the Underground is not feasible and prevents licensing. Post Malone also pushed back his Tottenham Hotspur Stadium concerts, moving them from 7–8 September to 20–21 September amid the transport crunch.
At the heart of the dispute, the RMT is pressing to reduce the Tube working week from 35 to 32 hours alongside increases in pay and safeguards around shifts and fatigue. General Secretary Eddie Dempsey has framed the demand as a health and safety issue tied to long and irregular rotations, while Transport for London has labeled the proposal unaffordable—estimating a roughly £200 million price tag—and countered with a 3.4% pay rise without cutting weekly hours.
Alternative routes are running but straining. The Elizabeth line, London Overground, buses, and trams remain in service, yet crowding has surged and central stops on the Elizabeth line—such as Liverpool Street, Farringdon, Tottenham Court Road, and Bond Street—are skipping trains during early and late windows. Officials have urged travelers to plan ahead, allow considerable extra time, and consider walking or cycling, warning that substantial disruption is likely through Thursday with a gradual return toward normal from Friday morning.
