September Tube Strike Cost TfL Up to £25m but Secures Three-Year Pay Deal for Staff
- Safer Highways
- 23 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Transport for London (TfL) has revealed that a five-day Tube strike in September cost the organisation between £20 million and £25 million in lost fares.
The walkout, called by the RMT union, aimed to reduce the working week for London Underground staff from 35 hours toward a long-term target of 32 hours.
The industrial action caused near-total shutdowns on several days and disrupted services on a sixth day while operations were restarted. RMT members on the Docklands Light Railway also staged strikes on two of the days over separate pay and conditions disputes.
The financial impact accounts for roughly a third of TfL’s current £64 million income shortfall for 2025/26. Unlike previous disputes, Mayor Sadiq Khan did not intervene, allowing the strike to proceed as planned, with different groups of staff walking out on different days.
Following the strike, TfL offered a three-year pay deal to the four Tube unions – RMT, Aslef, TSSA, and Unite – which has now been accepted. The agreement includes a 3.4% rise for 2025/26, followed by increases linked to the Retail Prices Index (RPI) for 2026/27 and 2027/28.
The deal could see wages for the 16,500 Underground staff rise by around 10% over three years, with Tube drivers’ salaries potentially reaching nearly £80,000. Prior to the deal, drivers earned about £71,000, while starting salaries for station staff ranged from £35,000 to £45,000. TfL has not reduced the 35-hour week for station staff but has allowed Tube drivers to move to a four-day week.
TfL Commissioner Andy Lord told the Assembly’s budget committee that the network “operated more services than ever before” during the strike, limiting disruption compared to previous years.
The strikes also prompted record numbers of Londoners to cycle to work, highlighting alternative commuting options while Tube services were suspended. TfL hopes that the new three-year agreement will prevent further industrial action over pay in the near future.