London Tube Strikes 2026: Five RMT Dates from 26 November to 6 January, and the Heathrow Plan

Five 24 hour Tube strikes will close parts of the London Underground across the Christmas peak. The RMT union has called strikes from 12:00 on Thursday 26 November, Thursday 17 December and Saturday 19 December 2026, and on Monday 4 and Wednesday 6 January 2027. Each strike starts at midday, so disruption builds through the afternoon and the evening peak.

For anyone landing at Heathrow, the strike changes the first decision of the trip. The Piccadilly line, the cheapest ride in from the airport, is the line most exposed to this dispute, while other airport routes are not in dispute at all. The dates, what still runs and the rides that keep an arrival simple are set out below.

The RMT union has announced five 24 hour Tube strikes across the Christmas peak, each starting at midday. Based on earlier strikes in this dispute, expect closures on the Circle and Piccadilly lines and on parts of the Metropolitan and Central lines, with the rest of the network busier than usual.

One honest gap matters here. TfL had not published its line by line plan for these dates when this was written. The exact stations and services affected will only be confirmed closer to each strike, so check the TfL status page before you travel rather than relying on any prediction, including this one.

Not in dispute, and expected to run: the Elizabeth line, the Overground, the DLR and London buses. Those services carry the city on a strike day, and the Elizabeth line matters most for an airport arrival.

The dates sit inside the busiest season of the year, including the Winter Wonderland run in Hyde Park. There is no strike on 31 December itself: the nearest strike days are 19 December and 4 January, so New Year travel is not directly hit, although the network will be extremely busy. If you must travel on a strike date, travel early.

Heathrow (LHR) sits about 25 km west of the center. The airport has a station at Terminals 2 and 3, at Terminal 4 and at Terminal 5. The Piccadilly line calls at all three stations, while the Elizabeth line and the Heathrow Express run from Terminals 2 and 3 and from Terminal 5. Follow the signs for trains from arrivals. On a strike day, pick a route that is running first.

The night bus N9, the first trains from about 5 am, and what a cab costs per person for two or four people are all set out in Heathrow to central London: every transfer option, priced

The guide names three first night picks. Splurge: The Savoy, on the Strand, the grande dame of the Thames since 1889, with a riverside terrace. Sweet spot: Hoxton Holborn, on High Holborn, a design forward favorite that puts the West End and the City within walking distance. Budget: Premier Inn Bank (Tower), on Prescot Street, clean and quiet, a short walk from the Tower of London.

Arrival connections help you choose between them. Stay near Bond Street or Liverpool Street and the Elizabeth line is a single ride from the terminal, strike day or not. Stay near Paddington and the Heathrow Express earns its fare. All three picks also work on foot, which matters on a strike day.

Tap in with a contactless bank card or phone instead of an Oyster card. Fares cap daily at £8.90 in zones 1 to 2, and at £5.55 if you stick to buses and trams, so you never overpay. A single bus fare is £1.85 per journey.

For data, get an Airalo eSIM before you fly and you are online as the plane taxis in. Saily is a good alternative with country and regional plans. Cards and contactless payments work almost everywhere, including Tube and bus gates. Keep £10 to £20 in cash for the odd small cafe or street market stall.

Eat first, then explore. The guide’s first meal is fish and chips from a proper chippy: golden cod or haddock, thick chips, salt and vinegar, eaten straight from the paper, ideally near a park. For a sit down first meal, the guide names Dishoom in Islington for black daal and bacon naan rolls, Padella in Borough Market for hand rolled pasta, and Beigel Bake on Brick Lane.

Keep planning with the events calendar for what else is on in London across the strike dates, and use plan your trip to line up the rest of your stay around the days the Tube runs normally.