Transport for London has invited the RMT union to resume talks as the week-long tube strike involving 10,000 members concluded Thursday night. The invitation for talks next Wednesday comes after four days of near-total closures that brought chaos to the capital's transport network.
London Underground trains are not expected to run fully until the end of Friday's morning rush hour. Passengers are urged to check for updates before travelling, especially for journeys before 8am.
Strike impact and alternatives
The strikes cut total patronage on TfL services by at least 20% each day, with Thursday showing a 25% drop in contactless tap-ins. Only a small stretch of the Piccadilly line operated on the final day, alongside a separate Docklands Light Railway strike.
Buses, the Elizabeth line and London Overground services absorbed most of the additional passenger demand. Tens of thousands more people turned to cycling and hired e-bikes to navigate congested streets into central London.
The surge in cycling brought safety concerns, with ambulance calls for bike accidents rising almost 30% to 36 incidents in the first three days compared to 28 in the same period last year. London Ambulance Service director of operations Darren Farmer said congestion had affected response times and urged drivers to avoid unnecessary journeys.
Economic disruption
The transport chaos hit London's economy hard, with footfall down approximately 20% and significantly more in some city and retail areas. Bar and restaurant bookings plummeted by about 50%, according to data from software firm Access Hospitality.
Talks and union demands
The RMT has not confirmed whether it will accept TfL's invitation to talks, after warning that further strikes could follow. A union source said: "This is a step in the right direction from TfL and has only occurred due to the industrial pressure from RMT members this week."
The union hopes to secure a shorter working week to tackle fatigue among transport workers. However, TfL maintains that any reduction in working hours would be impractical and unaffordable given current operational demands.
Sources used: "The Guardian", "Metro", "Evening Standard" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
