Only two Tube lines are operating a good service this evening amid a 24-hour strike by 10,000 London Underground workers who are members of the RMT union.

The Elizabeth line and DLR are running as usual, while the Bakerloo, Circle, Hammersmith & City, Jubilee, Metropolitan, Piccadilly, Victoria and Waterloo & City lines are all fully suspended.

The Central, District and Northern lines are part suspended, with a pared back service on the routes that are in operation; the London Overground has a good service on “most routes” but the Liverpool Street to Cheshunt/Chingford/Enfield Town part of the network is suspended.

Earlier today, politicians hit out at transport workers in response to ongoing industrial action.

PM hopeful Liz Truss said she “will not let our country be held to ransom by militant trade unionists”, while transport secretary Grant Shapps threatened to impose new working terms on striking rail employees, revealing plans to use a section 188 order to end the disputes.

Despite today’s Tube strike only being 24 hours, disruption is expected to continue into Saturday morning.

Most TfL services will run as normal after 8am, but expect disruption on the following lines and areas:

Reduced service between 08:00 and 18:00. No service before 08:00 or after 18:00. No service Gospel Oak-Barking. No Night Overground

No service between Wimbledon and Parson's Green, and Richmond and Turnham Green, before 08:00 and after 18:00

No service north of Queen's Park

As Londoners struggle to cross the capital to get home from work or attend Friday night plans during today’s Tube strike, here’s a full list of the status of every line on the network:

Good service on most routes. No service between Liverpool Street - Cheshunt / Chingford / Enfield Town due to strike action.

Part suspended: a reduced service is operating between White City and West Ruislip / Ealing Broadway, between Liverpool Street and Hainault via Newbury Park and between Leytonstone and Epping approximately every 15 minutes. No service on the rest of the line due to strike action.

Part suspended: a reduced service is operating between West Ham and Dagenham East, approximately every 15 minutes. No service on the rest of the line due to strike action.

Part suspended: a reduced service is operating between Golders Green and Edgware and between East Finchley and High Barnet / Mill Hill East, approximately every five minutes.

Londoners have been posting about cycling, walking and even jogging to work today, in a bid to avoid the strike-decimated Tube network.

Jenni tweeted: “Ran 10 miles to work and said hi to the monkeys. A great way to avoid the tube strike madness.”

Meanwhile, London shop Decorexi reported: “London sounds different when public transport is off grid. #Chiswick surprisingly calm at the moment with traffic flowing well. Plenty of people out and about on foot and cycle lane being well used.”

Ran 10 miles to work and said hi to the monkeys. A great way to avoid the tube strike madness.#RunToWork #Monkeys #TubeStrike #RunnersOfInstagram pic.twitter.com/00lkw5TZTU

RMT Union boss Micky Lynch has spoken out “the future of the pension scheme which is under threat” for striking workers today.

“There’s negotiatons going on between the government, treasury and Mayor Khan’s office about the future funding of London Underground. They’ve cut two billion pounds from the funding, and that has put at risk our members’ pensions,” he told LondonLive.

“They want to decimate the pension and make it into a completely different, cheaper scheme. That will make our members poorer in retirement and probably pay more while they’re working. There’s also threats to terms and conditions, and a threat of a loss of jobs.”

Mr Lynch said the RMT Union was “being excluded from talks”, adding that “offering our members terms and conditions as a hostage to get the funding of the railway and the bus services, the whole of TfL, pushed downwards”.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said the union's members that are on strike today "are being threatened with their pensions being cut to pieces and being poorer going forward"#tubestrike #rmt pic.twitter.com/lZW2mLnRvY

As the end of the working day approaches, eight of TfL’s lines, all Underground routes, remain completely out of action. They are: the Bakerloo, Circle, Hammersmith & City, Jubilee, Metropolitan, Piccadilly, Victoria and Waterloo & City Lines.

The Elizabeth Line and DLR are the only two TfL lines with a good service.

Meanwhile the London Overground has no service between Liverpool Street - Cheshunt / Chingford / Enfield Town due to strike action, but a good service on other areas of the line.

On the Central line a reduced service is operating between White City and West Ruislip, between Liverpool Street and Hainault via Newbury Park and between Leytonstone and Epping approximately every 15 minutes.

As with earlier, a reduced District Line service is operating between West Ham and Dagenham East, approximately every 15 minutes.

Saturday will see the end of the London Tube strike (with some knock-on effects expected to cause disruption first thing), and the beginning of the second RMT Union rail strike this week.

It’s expected to see only one fifth of services running across the UK, with large swathes of the country cut off entirely from the rail network.

Some companies have published emergency timetables with one hourly train on key routes, others have warned of just two or three services total on some routes. Meanwhile, some have simply said they will not be running a service. All, including Network Rail, have urged the public to avoid train travel for the duration of the 24-hour walkout.

But for absolutely essential journeys, which trains are set to run on Saturday? Here’s what we know so far.

Rail strikes: Which trains are running on Saturday?

Photos have emerged of London’s Tube stops and trains lying empty, or closed for the day, amid today’s RMT Union strike.

Having been warned vociferously to stay home and avoid train travel across town, few Londoners have been using the trickle of trains still running on the Central, Northern, District and Overground.

One image showed just one passenger in the carriage of a Central line train.

Travellers from London to Birmingham and Manchester who are struggling to find space on Avanti West Coast trains can instead enjoy first-class travel for the next four Friday evenings. A private operator is laying on a special train with a flat fare of £75.

The service is branded “The Friday Charter” and is run by Locomotive Services Group. The carriages are old British Rail Intercity Mk 3 stock, beloved by many rail enthusiasts for their comfort and panoramic windows. All the seating is three-abreast seating.

“Say goodbye to packed commuter trains and hello to luxurious leg room and cushioned comfort,” the operator says.

Beat the Avanti West Coast cancellations – with a private first-class train

New working terms will be imposed on striking rail workers if they refuse to accept deals on the table, the transport secretary has threatened.

Grant Shapps stepped up his battle with the rail unions by revealing plans to use a section 188 order to end the disputes, saying: “That is the direction that this is moving in now.”

But one union rejected his claim that an 8 per cent pay rise is on offer, insisting the privatised rail firms have offered just 2 per cent – alongside job losses and pension cuts.

“Everything Grant Shapps does seems to be aimed at ramping up this dispute rather than resolving it,” said Luke Chester, from the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) said.

Grant Shapps threatens to impose new working terms on striking rail workers

Although most Tube lines are completely suspended today during the strike by London Underground workers, the Elizabeth line and DLR are both still running.

Both are operating a “good service” according to TfL.

Meanwhile, most of the London Overground is working, albeit with a reduced service on some routes and minor delays.

There is no service from Liverpool Street - Cheshunt / Chingford / Enfield Town.

Many are opting to walk instead of using London's Underground network amid today's strikes.

TfL has published a useful map showing the number of minutes' walk between stations, which can be found on its website.

Tourists in particular may not be aware that the walk between Covent Garden and Leicester Square is just four minutes; while the distance between Oxford Circus and Bond St is just seven.

A TfL staffer recently clarified that the times shown on the “walking map” are measured from exit to entrance, rather than from the moment you get off the platform at one station to the moment you reach a platform at the next.

“The walking distances between stations on our map is from the entrance/exit to the station and not from the platform. As most stations have multiple platforms this would not be possible on the map,” an employee signing off as “Sue” wrote on Twitter.

Amid three separate strikes by Tube workers, Overground staff and bus drivers, many Londoners have faced long, frustrating waits for buses this morning.

Photos showed crowds swarming the number 13 to North Finchley, masked tourists waiting anxiously in long queues near Liverpool Street, and throngs four-deep, some with suitcases, outside Victoria Station.

On top of the Tube strikes, which have closed most Underground lines and Tube stations, 1,600 bus drivers employed by London United have walked out for both 19 and 20 August, with further disruption to continue tomorrow.

A cycling advocacy group has posted their guide to getting around the capital on two wheels.

London Cycling Campaign posted: “Is someone you know thinking about cycling in London this week during the #TubeStrike & #RailStrike this Friday?

“Share our tips on route-planning to help them have an enjoyable, safe journey - how routes are marked, apps & maps, where to avoid, and more.”

Is someone you know thinking about cycling in London this week during the #TubeStrike & #RailStrike this Friday? Share our tips on route-planning to help them have an enjoyable, safe journey - how routes are marked, apps & maps, where to avoid, and more 🗺️ https://t.co/kjjjROcAY3

Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has slammed transport secretary Grant Shapps on Twitter for not knowing the number of trains to the city on Avanti West Coast’s reduced schedule.

“I can’t believe I’m watching this. What hope do we have when the Transport Secretary doesn’t know the details of the reduced timetable he signed off?” said Mr Burnham, posting a video of Mr Shapps being questioned on BBC Breakfast.

In the clip, Mr Shapps informs presenter Charlie Stayt that there are four direct trains an hour between London and Manchester on Avanti’s ongoing amended schedule.

Mr Stayt insists that there is currently one train an hour on this route. Mr Shapps says: “All I can tell you is there are still trains running down the west coast mainline.”

Mr Shapps also appears to misunderstand the term “direct train”, saying “Do you mean trains that stop at other stations? I’m not quite sure of your definition,” and suggests Mr Stayt “may be getting confused” about the strikes.

Avanti West Coast recently reduced its number of hourly services on the London-Birmingham-Manchester route from three per hour to one per hour.

This amended time table is in place from 14 August until at least 9 September, Avanti says, adding: “This is due to the current industrial relations climate, resulting in severe staff shortages through increased sickness, as well as unofficial strike action by Aslef members.”

Mr Burnham added: “And, by extension, this means [Mr Shapps] is unaware of the misery he has inflicted on millions of passengers. Nowhere near good enough.”

I can’t believe I’m watching this.

What hope do we have when the Transport Secretary doesn’t know the details of the reduced timetable he signed off? 🤷🏻‍♂️ https://t.co/gLsd5y858y

Londoners have been sharing their alternative commutes, with the Tube and some buses out of action.

“Survived my first ever London cycling commute (necessitated by the #tubestrike obvs),” wrote Tom Palmer on Twitter.

“Cycled past 2 major trauma centres without ending up in either of them, so I’ll consider that a success!”

Dan Hett tweeted: “oh lovely, a tube strike as well. Good, up the workers, I’ll walk.”

“40 minute cycle to Euston this morning #TubeStrike,” wrote Michelle Hope, posting a photo of some Santander bikes.

Meanwhile author - not actor - Tom Holland wrote: “Thanks to the Tube strike, I will have to walk to Paddington. Fortunately, however, I am wearing THE RIGHT SHOES!”

Meanwhile, cricket fan Mark gave a tip: “For anyone at Lord’s, might be useful to know that the Elizabeth Line is running, so it’s possible to walk or get bus to Paddington after play and avoid some of the tube strike chaos.”

Survived my first ever London cycling commute (necessitated by the #tubestrike obvs). Cycled past 2 major trauma centres without ending up in either of them, so I’ll consider that a success! 🚴‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/l1MsUPOtEC

Conservative leadership candidate Liz Truss says she will “crack down” on “debilitating” strikes if she becomes prime minister.

She told the Express: “Once again we’re seeing militant trade unionists holding our country to ransom, with members of Sir Keir Starmer’s party keeping them company on the picket lines.

“As prime minister I’ll crack down on the debilitating strikes that cripple the vital services that hard-working people rely on.”

Ms Truss’ plans include introducing minimum service levels on key infrastructure across the UK, and raising ballot thresholds to make it harder for unions to plan strikes.

Amid a second day of transport strike misery, the UK’s transport secretary Grant Shapps has told union bosses to “get out of the way” and let members decide on a settlement with employers.

When asked why strikes were dragging on, Mr Shapps told Sky News: “Because the union bosses won’t put the settlement deals to their members.

“So we’ve had a situation where 8 per cent over two years has been offered - it’s different depending on which piece of the rail we’re talking about here - but broadly speaking,” he continued.

“And the bosses, for example, the boss of the RMT, simply make the decision without going out to their membership to ask them whether they would like to settle this and get back to work.

“It’s time for the union bosses to get out of the way and put the deals on the table to their members.”

The City Hall Conservative group has criticised London mayor Sadiq Khan for failing to deliver on a “zero strike” pledge to the city.

Nick Rogers, the group’s transport spokesperson, said the present action leaves Mr Khan’s “zero strike” pledge “in pieces”.

He told LondonWorld: “Londoners are once again facing major disruption because Sadiq Khan is focused on political posturing and not on getting a grip of TfL.

“The mayor should face down the militant unions, secure a long-term funding settlement for TfL, and end these strikes.”

A spokesperson for the mayor’s office said: “Sadiq is extremely disappointed about the strikes going ahead on London Underground this week.

“The strikes taking place across the country, as well as here in London, will cause disruption at a crucial time when we’re working to rebuild the country’s economy.”

“Under this government, we are seeing more and more strikes taking place across the country, and it’s no secret that the conditions placed on TfL as part of previous emergency funding deals with the government following the impacts of the pandemic have been a primary motivator for strikes by London’s transport workers.

“Before the pandemic hit, Sadiq had reduced overall strike action on TfL services by over 70 per cent compared to the previous mayor’s record.

“The mayor continues to urge the unions to work with TfL and to join him in calling on the government to provide the sustainable funding needed to protect the capital’s transport network – not just for the benefit of London, but the whole country.”

A woman in London has told London Live about a nightmare journey this morning after a series of modes of transport failed her.

Jane Abbey told London Live that she had aimed to get the Piccadilly Line to King’s Cross; then took a bus which proceeded to terminate at Marble Arch; waited while two full buses went past; took another bus to Baker Street, was asked to disembark that; and eventually walked 35 minutes to her destination.

Jane Abbey, 56, describes her journey from west London to Kings Cross station today during the tube and rail strike.#TubeStrike #railstrike pic.twitter.com/VGvFgXLi5o

The London Underground strike is sandwiched between two national rail strikes, in the most serious collapse of normal train services for three decades.

In addition to the rail chaos, writes Simon Calder in his weekly travel newsletter, airline and ferry passengers are facing severe problems. The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, is the obvious person to intervene.

“As the fortunes of travellers dwindle, we need urgent action from the minister in charge. Mr Shapps, though, is prioritising registering and licensing cyclists. As recently as 2018, a thorough study about such a bike scheme concluded: ‘The costs and complexity of introducing such a system would significantly outweigh the benefits.’

“The transport secretary might want to pay heed to the report, because it was conducted by his very own Department for Transport.”

The Independent’s Jon Stone has written: “Grant Shapps, with both eyes on his own political future, is throwing a little bit of anti-cycling meat out for the Tory press before the new prime minister comes in. It is a pitch to keep his job, essentially.”

Sign up to Simon’s free newsletter here:

Many people who usually use the Tube to get around London will be hoping to catch a city bus instead. However, there is also a bus driver strike today and tomorrow (19 and 20 August),

Around 1,600 bus drivers who are members of the Unite union and employees of London United are involved in the 48-hour walkout, on top of the RMT Tube workers strike and London Overground strike.

Bus services will be disrupted in west and south west London and parts of Surrey on both days.

Read more on which services are affected here:

When is the London bus strike and which routes are affected?

TFL has published a handy chart showing which London services are out of action today

“Strikes will affect your journey 18 and 21 August,” they said.

On the chart, a red dot = no service / severe disruption - avoid travel.

Orange dot = reduced / irregular service - check before you travel / allow more time for your journey.

Green dot = check before you travel.

It shows disruption expected on the Overground, DLR, Elizabeth line and London buses into mid-morning on Sunday.

National Rail enquiries has alerted train passengers that services between Paddington and Heathrow Airport remain disrupted, and will be until mid-morning, due to a signalling issue.

An alert read: “A fault with the signalling system between London Paddington and Acton Main Line is causing disruption to journeys between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport / Reading. As a result, trains may be cancelled or delayed by up to 20 minutes.

Though most TfL lines are out of actions as of 8am Friday, there are a few with a reduced service.

The Elizabeth line is seeing trains, albeit with “severe delays”.

On the Northern line, a reduced service is operating between Golders Green and Edgware and between High Barnet and East Finchley, with trains approximately every five minutes.

On the Central line, a reduced service is operating between White City and West Ruislip / Ealing Broadway; between Liverpool Street and Hainault via Newbury Park; and between Leytonstone and Epping with trains approximately every 15 minutes.

On the District line, a reduced service is operating between West Ham and Upminster, approximately every 15 minutes.

On the London Overground, a reduced service is operating between Highbury & Islington and Clapham Junction/New Cross/Crystal Palace and West Croydon only.

Transport bosses have been telling passengers not to travel unless necessary.

“Customers are advised to avoid travelling on the Tube and only travel on the rest of the TfL network if essential,” Transport for London (TfL)said in a statement.

There will be “severe disruption” on all lines with little to no services throughout the day and no Night Tube.

A coordinated bus strike will also see some services out of operation.

National Rail services will not operate as normal.

A bike company is helping Londoners avoid commuter chaos by offering them a free bike on strike days.

During today’s walkouts and into the weekend, Swapfiets will be lending commuters a free bike to use for up to seven days.

Bike company offers Londoners bicycles for free on tube strike days

Thursday and Saturday see nationwide industrial action across Britain’s railways, while on Friday the capital will grind to a halt amid London bus and Tube walkouts.

Worried about whether your train will run? Caught up in some of the summer holiday chaos as travel resumes at scale? Messed around by an airline or holiday company? Concerned about the reported demise of those ultra-low £10 air fares? Or simply after some inspiration for a winter getaway?

Our expert Simon Calder will be on hand on Friday 19 August to answer all your questions in an ‘Ask me anything’ event between 4 and 5pm. He will be answering live in the comments section below.

Simon Calder to answer your travel questions as train, tube and bus strikes hit UK

Network Rail chief executive Andrew Haines has dismissed questions about his £590,000 salary, as tens of thousands of railway workers go on strike over pay and conditions.

A BBC Breakfast reporter on Thursday highlighted Mr Haines’ recent pay rise from £544,000 to £590,000, saying: “It’s a huge amount of money to people listening to this. How do you defend that?”

Mr Haines responded: “What happened was I took a

pay cut the previous year, so my salary this coming year will be exactly the same as in 2018.

Network Rail boss defends £590,000 salary as 45,000 workers strike over pay

Rail union leaders have warned the long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions will continue “for as long as it takes” as travel chaos continues for a second day.

Tens of thousands of members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) and Unite walked out yesterday, affecting Network Rail and train operators across the country.

Another strike will be held on Saturday while RMT members on London Underground and London Overground, and some bus drivers in the capital in Unite are on a strike today,

Unions continued to blame Transport Secretary Grant Shapps for the deadlocked rail dispute.

Manuel Cortes, TSSA general secretary has said he hopes “common sense will now prevail” and the demands of the unions will be met.

“But for this to happen, Grant Shapps must either come to the table or give train operators the mandate to negotiate and break this impasse.

“Unless a negotiated settlement which is acceptable to our members is reached, this dispute will continue for as long as it takes.”

Rail union bosses warn pay dispute will continue ‘for as long as it takes’

Passengers face yet more disruption to their journeys this week with Underground workers now staging a walkout after rail strikes.

The services will continue to be impacted with another nationwide strike planned for tomorrow.

But why are the strikes happening, and what have unions, rail companies and government said about the disruption?

Here’s everything you need to know about these strikes:

Train strikes: Why are this week’s rail walkouts happening?

As Tube workers stage a walk-out today on the heels of nationwide rail strikes, and with more strike action to come, it means transport disruption is likely to continue throughout the weekend.

TfL is advising customers to “avoid travel on the Tube if possible and only travel on the rest of the network if essential”.

There will be “severe disruption” on all lines with little to no services throughout the day and no Night Tube.

A coordinated bus strike will also see some services out of operation.

But if you do have an essential journey, how can you get around London?

How can Londoners get around during Tube strike?

Workers on the London Underground and bus services are staging a strike today as part of a long-running dispute over jobs and pensions.

The 24-hour Tube strike today will see RMT Union members working for London Underground stage a walkout.

Around 10,000 Tube workers in the union are expected to go on strike, causing major disruption to TfL’s network.

Alongside them, 1,100 members of the Unite union, employed at London Underground, Croydon Tramlink, Victoria coach station, Dial-a-Ride and river service, will also walk out today.

And around 400 London Overground workers employed by Arriva Rail London will stage a separate walkout today, while bus drivers working for United London will also strike today and tomorrow.

Good morning! Welcome to The Independent’s liveblog covering all the latest updates on the tube strike on 19 August 2022. Stay tuned!