Planning London journeys during strikes and closures

Katerina Galkina · EN · 07/10/2026

Check your specific journey

A strike announcement does not mean all London transport will stop. The operator, line, section, direction and times matter. Open TfL's current strikes page ↗ rather than an old screenshot. Action may be suspended or affect only part of your route.

Check planned closures and service changes ↗ separately. Engineering work need not coincide with industrial action. A line may operate while your station or exit is unavailable.

Plan two genuinely separate routes

Enter precise addresses, date and time in TfL Journey Planner ↗. For a fixed appointment, search by arrival time. Check every interchange, walking section and return journey.

Save an alternative that does not rely on the same closed section. Two lines through one unavailable station are a weak fallback. Consider a bus, a short walk connecting services or a different mainline station. If you need step-free travel, check interchanges and lift status rather than only the symbol at your starting station.

Allow extra planning for airports

Calculate the journey to the correct terminal and the airline's check-in deadline. Allow for disruption and the final section; no single buffer works for every airport. Check National Rail and private coach services separately because they may have different operators and ticket conditions.

If choosing a taxi, establish the total price, pickup location, luggage capacity and traffic conditions beforehand. During disruption, a backup car still depends on congestion and demand. For an early flight, compare an airport overnight stay with the risk of a complicated morning journey.

Replacement buses, tickets and refunds

TfL explains that planned closures have alternative travel arrangements; rail replacement buses are provided where there is no reasonable alternative public transport route. Do not assume every disruption will have a replacement bus.

Check whether your ticket is accepted on the alternative service. Keep purchase records, screenshots and actual journey times. Refund or service delay refund eligibility depends on the ticket and cause. Start with the official refunds section ↗ rather than expecting automatic taxi reimbursement.

Check again the evening before and immediately before leaving. Save the route, destination address and tickets offline. If your plans change, confirm that you can still catch the last service home.