London Tube Strikes End – But Will They Be Back?

The five-day Tube strike has ended, costing London businesses an estimated £230m–£600m and hitting hospitality especially hard.

The dispute centred on the RMT union’s demand to cut the working week from 35 to 32 hours. TfL argues this would cost over £200m a year, money it says it can’t afford. Talks between RMT and TfL are set to resume, but another strike would require a fresh ballot and at least 14 days’ notice.

How Londoners coped:

• The Elizabeth line saw a 26% surge in commuters.

• Thameslink trains were packed.

• E-bike usage exploded: Lime reported a 74% increase in trips, while Forest saw up to a 500% jump.

But e-bike chaos also raised accessibility concerns, with charities calling for stricter regulation.

Impact on business:

• Some street food traders lost up to £40,000 in revenue.

• UKHospitality estimates total lost sales across the sector now exceed £3bn since the start of the dispute.

So while trains are moving again, the big question remains: are more strikes on the horizon?