Elizabeth line partially closes and buses disrupted due to strike action

Services between Abbey Wood and Paddington started in May

The central section of the Elizabeth line is closed due to strike action for the first time since opening last year.

There is no service between Abbey Wood and Paddington due to a walkout by workers from Prospect and the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA).

It comes amid bus strikes by Unite workers, affecting south-west London.

Transport for London has warned of short-notice cancellations and changes to Elizabeth line services, but the Tube and Overground are unaffected.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) union held six 24-hour Tube strikes last year - four of them after the Elizabeth line opened in May - which brought the London Underground network to a standstill.

Although it is a Transport for London service, the Elizabeth line was previously unaffected by the RMT's industrial action. This is the first strike action on Britain's newest rail line.

The two unions involved in the Elizabeth line strike represent infrastructure workers, and rejected a 4% pay rise for 2022 and a 4.4% increase this year.

The Elizabeth line is closed between Abbey Wood and Paddington

Unions say Elizabeth line staff employed by Rail for London Infrastructure are paid £30,000 less than colleagues working in equivalent roles across the TfL network.

The TSSA has written to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, urging him to intervene in the dispute about pay and pensions.

Frank Ward, TSSA interim general secretary, said: "We're calling on Sadiq Khan, as mayor of London and chair of the TfL board, to use his influence to encourage negotiations which can resolve this dispute. Elizabeth line staff deserve nothing less."

A spokesperson for Mr Khan said: "Nobody wants to see strike action and that's why the mayor has continually urged the unions and TfL to work together to find a resolution to these issues in order to prevent strike action from happening."

It comes as members of Unite employed by Abellio went out on strike on Thursday, affecting multiple routes in south-west London in a continuing dispute over pay.

In that dispute, Abellio London said it was offering a 12% pay deal "with no conditions" to bring "an established bus driver's salary to around £40,000 per year".

This is the first strike action on London's newest railway line

In the east of the capital, between Shenfield and Liverpool Street mainline station, the Elizabeth line is operating a Saturday service of eight trains an hour, with three extra services an hour during the morning and evening peaks.

In the west, there are just two trains an hour running from Paddington to Reading, two trains an hour running from Paddington to Maidenhead, two trains an hour running from Paddington to Heathrow Terminal 4 and no services running to Heathrow Terminal 5.

Howard Smith, TfL's director of the Elizabeth line, said: "Strikes are bad news for everyone, and we urge the TSSA and Prospect to continue to work with us to avoid industrial action.

"These strikes will have a detrimental effect during a time where we are encouraging customers back on to trains into central London, in which the Elizabeth line has played a leading role."

The Elizabeth line has not been operating in central London

Unions say they are also in dispute over pensions. TSSA members voted by nine to one in favour of strike action in a ballot last year after talks failed at the arbitration service, Acas.

TSSA organiser Mel Taylor said: "Our members are rightly taking this action because they are not prepared to be pushed around on pay and pensions."

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