Tube drivers are striking six times between April and June. The first strike starts this coming Tuesday at midday, and the District Line is affected every time. That means East Putney, Putney Bridge and Southfields stations are all affected.
Each strike runs from midday to 11:59am the following day, hitting the afternoon commute home and the next morning’s journey in. The first pair, Tuesday 21 April and Thursday 23 April, means four disrupted journeys in the space of four days.
For East Putney users in particular, the strikes land on a service that was already officially the worst-performing tube station in London before any industrial action. East Putney lost 147 hours to signal failures in 2024, more than double the next worst station on the network.
Are you affected?
If you travel home on a strike Tuesday or Thursday afternoon, or leave for work on the following Wednesday or Friday morning, the District Line is not reliable. Those are the 12 journeys at risk. If your commute falls outside those windows (early mornings, evenings after the strikes end at noon the next day, or any other day) you are not affected.
This is less severe than September 2025, when all tube drivers walked out and most lines shut entirely. This time only RMT members are striking. ASLEF drivers, who make up a large share of the workforce, are not taking action, so TfL expects reduced services rather than a full shutdown. But reduced is not normal. Do not rely on a regular timetable.
If you are attending the Southfields ward hustings on Tuesday evening, build in extra time. It is at St Barnabas Church at 7:30pm, the same evening the first strike begins.
What to do instead
Your best alternative is South Western Railway from Putney station. It is about a ten-minute walk from East Putney, and trains run frequently to Clapham Junction where an overground train can get you to parts of West and North London; Vauxhall, which has an extensive bus network; and of course Waterloo, from where you get to most parts of central London easily. If you are travelling to or from central London on a strike morning or afternoon, SWR is the reliable option.
Buses are the other fallback. Routes 22, 39, 74, 85, 93, 220 and 265 all serve the area. There are also e-bikes Lime and Forest but it may also be worth considering Santander Cycles – docking stations are just off Putney High Street and near the embankment – because they are less used and so could be a useful backup when demand is expected to soar. The TfL Travel Planner app is an excellent place to start figuring out your best options.
Check tfl.gov.uk/campaign/strikes before you travel on each strike date. That is where any last-minute cancellation will be confirmed first.
Why the strikes are happening
TfL proposed compressing the standard working week into four longer shifts, with paid meal breaks introduced. ASLEF accepted the deal. RMT rejected it, saying the longer underground shifts raise safety concerns because total hours worked would not fall. A voluntary pilot has been running on the Bakerloo line since January 2026 but the dispute is unresolved.
The six April–June dates replace the March strikes, which were suspended after progress in talks. Those talks have since stalled. A settlement could still be reached, so check tfl.gov.uk/campaign/strikes before each strike date for any update.
