Many commuter rail services in London are facing a fresh strike by train drivers over a long-running dispute over pay and conditions.
Members of Aslef in Greater Anglia, c2c and LNER are standing off work for 24 hours, following similar action at other train operators earlier this week.
Strikes will be held against different companies on Saturday and next Monday, which will cause a new travel chaos for passengers.
Union members at all British train operators involved in the dispute are also banning overtime until the beginning of next week, leading to cancellations.
Travelers are advised to check before travelling; some areas have no trains, while others have only limited services and start later and end earlier than usual.
c2c does not provide any service on Friday.
LNER said it would operate more than 30 services between London, Edinburgh and West Yorkshire, around a fifth of its normal schedule.
Greater Anglia said a “very limited” service would operate on just five main routes on Friday, with the exception of the Stansted Express service, which would operate for a limited period.
With the exception of the Stansted Express, these services will start much later and finish earlier than usual.
Meanwhile, Tube passengers were facing serious delays on the Central Line and minor delays on the Piccadilly Line, with good service reported on other lines.
Follow the latest updates below…
Key points
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Which lines were affected by the Aslef strike today?
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Central Line seriously delayed again
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What you need to know if you’re flying to or from Stansted Airport this weekend
TfL aims to have half of all tube stations have step-free access
08:52 , King of Jordan
Transport for London (TfL) has announced a range of more than 80 improvements to make the capital’s tube and bus network more accessible.
The measures include the installation of mini ramps at some London Underground stations, which close the gap between the platform and the train. Some stations are labeled as “stepless from street to train” but there is still a small gap.
The improvements are outlined in a new plan launched today.
Read more here.
Disruption to trains between Stratford International and Ebbsfleet International has now been resolved
08:30 , King of Jordan
These Southern lines were delayed due to an earlier fault in the signaling system, but this problem has now been resolved.
If you are planning to travel from Ashurst to London
08:29 , King of Jordan
Due to urgent repairs to a bridge at Ashurst, there will be no trains from Ashurst station towards Oxted/London until at least Monday 5 February.
Alternatively, you can take a train service to Uckfield, the train will return and you can connect to London Victoria trains at Oxted by taking the return service to Oxted.
If you are planning to travel from Ashurst and need to Oxted/London:
🚆Please take a train service to Uckfield, the train will return and operate the Oxted-bound return service where you can connect with London Victoria trains at Oxted.
❗️ Please remember this by doing this…— Southern (@SouthernRailUK) January 28, 2024
Hammersmith & City Line returns to good service
08:24 , King of Jordan
The Hammersmith & City Line will be no longer delayed.
Minor delays on Piccadilly Line
08:23 , King of Jordan
There are minor delays between Acton Town and Uxbridge due to train shortages.
The rest of the line has good service.
Southeastern trains can now run between Stratford International and Ebbsfleet International but are still disrupted
07:40 , King of Jordan
Trains, whose services were disrupted due to a malfunction in the signaling system, have resumed service, but the disruption is expected to continue until 08.30 in the morning.
Southeastern trains are currently unable to run between Stratford International and Ebbsfleet International
07:38 , King of Jordan
It was stated that the outage was caused by a malfunction in the signaling system. Engineers have been called and are on their way.
⚠️ NEW: Trains are currently unable to run between Stratford International due to a fault in the signaling system #EbbsfleetInternational
👷♂️ Engineers have been called and are on their way
ℹ️ More information to follow— Southeast (@Se_Railway) February 2, 2024
Minor delays on the Hammersmith and City Line
07:33 , King of Jordan
The Hammersmith and City Line is facing minor delays due to train cancellations.
There is good service on all other lines.
Central Line severely delayed
07:32 , King of Jordan
The Central Line is again severely delayed due to train shortages.
If you are using LNER trains:
07:29 , King of Jordan
LNER is operating a reduced schedule today.
The first and last services will be earlier and later than usual.
You can check your journey here.
Due to industrial action we are running a limited service tomorrow 2nd February.
Please check your entire journey before you travel: https://t.co/wqdF3ZCinCOur first service of the day will be later than normal, and our last service will be earlier than normal.
1/4 pic.twitter.com/33XTW28ogo
– London North Eastern Railway (@LNER) February 1, 2024
If you are flying to or from Stansted Airport today or this weekend:
07:27 , King of Jordan
Stansted Express offers the following discounted service today:
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Trains from Stansted Airport – hourly service, from 05.50 to 23.45
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Trains from London Liverpool Street – hourly service between 04.40 and 23.25
Tomorrow’s first trains of the day will start later than usual, but trains will depart from Stansted Airport and London Liverpool Street approximately every 30 minutes.
You can check your special train on Stansted Express’ train times tool.
If you use Greater Anglia trains:
07:23 , King of Jordan
Today’s strike will mean:
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Discounted services will operate between Norwich, Cambridge, Colchester, Southend Victoria and London Liverpool Street, as well as between Stansted Airport and London Liverpool Street.
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Service will not be provided on other lines, including regional/branch lines.
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The first trains of the day leave later and the last trains finish earlier than usual
Tomorrow’s first trains may also start later than usual as a side effect of today’s industrial action.
If you use C2c trains:
07:20 , King of Jordan
No c2c trains will run today.
The line, which will be affected by the overtime ban tomorrow, will receive discounted service until February 6.
You can check out your custom ride here.
Which lines were affected by the Aslef strike today?
07:15 , King of Jordan
Aslef drivers working for c2c, Greater Anglia (including Stansted Express) and LNER will walk off the job today.
This is the third day of the union’s strike, which also took place during the overtime ban.
Good morning
07:12 , King of Jordan
Good morning and welcome to The Evening Standard’s London travel blog.
Stay with us for live updates on what’s happening on the links around the capital.