London's underground Tube strike is still on and it is set to affect up to four million commuters Monday morning. Commuter traffic has been predicted to be absolute

Commuter traffic has been predicted to be absolute chaos as the union RMT, walked out of "talks at conciliation service Acas on Saturday," the BBC reports.

Transport for London advised on their Website that "Tube station staff who are union members are striking for 24 hours from 18:00 on Sunday 8 January. Tube services are severely reduced and some stations are closed from Sunday evening until the end of service on Monday 9 January.

This means that the majority of stations in Zone 1 are closed."

London - what options are available for commuters?

People are frantically trying to establish what trains will run, where and if they will service various stops. Transport for London's Twitter page is inundated with queries such as those below:

Even if you do manage to find a train going the way you need, there is no guarantee you will get to your destination on time as many Tube stations will not operate at all and those that do open will have reduced hours - projected to be opened after 0700 and closed by 1900 on Monday the 9th January.

Boat, coach or cycle during the strike

Nothing is really certain until workers actually arrive to do the job, but there are some positive moves being made to accommodate stranded commuters.

These include:

  • 150 buses will be added to certain routes during the strike, but these are expected to be very busy and crowded so people are asked to be patient. Bus maps and schedules can be downloaded in pdf from the tfl.gov Website.
  • Santander Cycle Hire hubs will be available at Soho Square, Newgate Street, St Pauls and at Waterloo Station and Belgrove Street (King's Cross St Pancras).

  • River side services are expected to be busy and you can pay at pier, but it is best to follow the twitter account for more info.

  • Several coach operators, including National Express and Green Line, offer services that stop in a number of locations throughout London. You can get up to date information by visiting the Coachtracker.nationalexpress Website.

Rail services available for commuters

DLR, London Overground, and TfL Rail will be operating but expect crowds of people trying to get aboard.

National rail will probably have some stations closed, and you may not be able to complete your journey but there is up do date information at the Southern Railways Website.

According to Transport for London, Great Northern Services will operate as follows:

  • On Monday 9 January, from the start of service until 0700 Moorgate trains will be diverted to King's Cross (and will not call at Drayton Park, Highbury, Essex Road, Old Street, Moorgate).
  • From 0700 until 1900 trains will terminate at Old Street (and will not call at Moorgate)
  • From 1900 until the end of service trains will be diverted to King's Cross (and will not call at Drayton Park, Highbury, Essex Road, Old Street, Moorgate)

There is hope that some agreement can be reached with the union so the strike will end and that by Tuesday 10th January the commuter transport services will be back to normal across London.
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