The second in a series of 24-hour strikes by London Underground drivers began at midday on Thursday.

The strike by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), which represents roughly half of drivers on the Tube network, is expected to cause travel disruption across the capital.

The union is in a dispute with Transport for London (TfL) over changes to the working week and says it is concerned about the safety impact of proposed shifts lengths. It says it has planned four more 24-hour strikes in May and June if the row is not resolved.

TfL says the industrial action is "completely unnecessary" and the proposed working week pattern was optional.

Here's what's going on:

• The industrial action began at 12:00 on Thursday and is scheduled to last for 24 hours
• The Circle line will be closed entirely
• The Metropolitan line will be closed between Baker Street and Aldgate
• Central line services will not run between White City and Liverpool Street
• Other lines that do run will be offering a significantly reduced service
• Latest status updates here, external

Elliot Burrin
In Westminster

Several Londoners I’ve spoken to today are trying their best to adapt to the strikes.

The chaos from September is all too familiar, particularly for me. They fell on my first day working at the BBC, leaving me with an hour-long walk to Broadcasting House, over dressed on a hot day.

But for those visiting London, it can be difficult to plan to overcome the delays and congestion.

“We heard about the strikes, so we’ve been getting Ubers everywhere,” Dylan tells me. He’s been visiting London with friends over the last few days.

That’s not the story for all. I’ve spoken to several tourists who had no idea there were strikes today.

As a reminder, industrial action began at 12:00 BST and is scheduled to last for 24 hours.

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

London's restaurants, bars and pubs have been "collateral damage" during this strike action, the Chair of UK Hospitality warns.

Speaking to BBC Radio London, Kate Nicholls says the Tube strikes are "hugely damaging," particularly in the city centre as many office staff are working from home instead of travelling into central London.

Tube strikes tend to cause a 40% reduction in sales, Nicholls says. But she adds some businesses in travel hubs, like grab and go coffee shops, can lose up to 80% of their business on strike days.

The rolling strikes have "effectively taken out four days of this week" for businesses, she continues.

She goes on to say that there has been train and tube strikes impacting London since the capital opened up after the Covid-19 pandemic and calls for all sides to get around the table to negotiate.

Elliot Burrin
In Westminster

Richard and Anne thought they’d missed the strikes by taking a guided bus tour yesterday, but now they’re wondering how to get back to their hotel today after realising there’s another day of disruption.

The couple say their trip from the US has definitely been “interrupted” by the lack of service on the Tube.

“We did get stuck in a tremendous amount of traffic yesterday,” they tell me. “It took us an hour and a half to travel six miles.”

But what is a sure-fire way to just avoid the disruption completely? Leave the capital.

Richard and Anne tell me that one way they chose to avoid the strikes was to head southeast to visit the White Cliffs of Dover on Tuesday.

E-scooter and e-bike provider Voi has offered free travel for the remainder of RMT's strike this week.

It comes as other e-bike and e-scooter operators, along with TfL hire bikes, saw big surges in demand during the industrial action.

Voi says day passes would be free and inclusive of journeys up to 30 minutes for Voi app users. The company has about 4,000 bikes and thousands of scooters in 10 London boroughs.

For Wednesday it reported that the overall number of rides on its services was 66% higher than average, while new user registrations surged 148%.

Trip distances were also found to be 10–15% above average, with the biggest spikes in Lambeth and Southwark, according to the firm.

Tom Edwards
Transport Correspondent, BBC London

One of the most striking developments in these strikes is the increase in cyclists in part due to the good spring weather.

The cycle paths are absolutely rammed first thing in rush hour.

That's led to cycle campaigners to say the bike lanes need expanding, while City Hall insiders say it shows how bike lanes actually build resilience.

Yesterday cycle hire increased by a whopping 60% in London.

There's also a bit of a difference emerging between the e-bikes and conventional bikes and how they interact - e-bikes are much faster and heavier and that can lead to some conflict.

And some rider behaviour around red light jumping is not good but it does show cycling can be a serious transport option for some.

You can get in touch in the following ways:   

• Email: yourvoice@bbc.co.uk, external

• WhatsApp: +44 7756 165803 , external  

• Upload your pictures and video   

Please read our terms & conditions and privacy policy   

 In some cases a selection of your comments and questions will be published, displaying your name and location as you provide it unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published.   

Elliot Burrin
In Westminster

I’ve just taken a surprisingly empty bus to Westminster, where I’ve been speaking to people visiting London.

Camille, who works in the city, told me that it took her two hours to get home on Tuesday because of the strike. It usually takes her 30 minutes.

“The buses get too full, so it doesn’t stop at the stop, and then you’ve got to wait for the next one,” she says.

Her two friends had been planning to visit her in London for a year now, but their trip has been interrupted by the action.

"Something that could have taken 20 minutes is now taking a lot longer,” she says, but the group tell me they support the workers on strike.

Nisha Patel
BBC Radio London, at Liverpool Street Station

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Liverpool Street, the UK's busiest station, appeared quiet this morning despite rush hour being in full flow.

It appears that people have been choosing to work from home today, suggesting that the impact of the strikes is most likely going to be felt by businesses.

One Londoner who was planning to travel on the Elizabeth Line tells me they "expect it to be absolutely packed," adding that the city "should not be held to ransom".

But another commuter says they did not even realise there was a Tube strike happening, explaining they are "one of the lucky few".

Another man who is visiting the city says the strike is "going to be a bit problematic" and could make him late for a booking to visit the Horizon 22 viewing platform in the City of London.

Image source, Getty Images

During the 24-hour strike which began on Tuesday, only the Circle line was fully suspended for the entire time, while the Waterloo & City was shut on Wednesday morning.

While Transport for London (TfL) had warned the Piccadilly would not operate entirely, it ended up only being part suspended, while other lines also had part suspensions or ran with a less frequent service.

On Tuesday, TfL reported that 51% of normal passenger services were in operation, although lines stopped running earlier than usual on Tuesday evening and only opened again from about 07:30 BST on Wednesday.

Fewer people were found to be using the Tubes than normal. TfL said people tapping in using Oyster had been down 13% compared to normal as of 14:00 on Tuesday, and 21% lower than expected as of 08:45 on Wednesday morning.

Cycling meanwhile proved popular with TfL's own hire bike scheme seeing demand increase by 14% compared to a normal day on Tuesday afternoon and up 63% during Wednesday's morning peak. Other hire e-bike firms also reported surges in users.

And services like the Elizabeth line, London Overground and DLR all ran as normal but many reported them to be busier than usual.

Elliot Burrin
At King's Cross station

I’ve been talking to Katy from Doncaster who is visiting London as part of a friend’s 40th birthday party.

She says the plans have been in the calendar for over a year — but they found out last month it would be interrupted by strikes.

But they’re not letting this ruin their plans - the group has decided to get a taxi to the O2, and Katy tells me they’re getting an Uber Boat back instead of the Tube.

“We’ll be celebrating soon!” Katy says.

As the second Tube strike of the week gets under way it appears more services are running, at least at the moment, than during the previous walkout.

So far strike action has meant that the Circle is suspended along the entire line, while the Metropolitan is part suspended between Baker Street and Aldgate.

The Central, District and Jubilee lines all have severe delays, while the Hammersmith & City and Victoria are reporting minor delays.

A second 24-hour strike has begun on the London Underground.

No service is expected on the Circle line during the strike, which began at midday on Thursday.

TfL has previously warned that the Piccadilly line would also be suspended, the Metropolitan line would not run between Baker Street and Aldgate and the Central line would be suspended between White City and Liverpool Street.

TfL says most other lines will be affected, with trains delayed and finishing earlier than usual, although during the first strike more Tubes ran than was expected.

Other services, such as the Elizabeth line, London Overground and trams continue to run but are expected to be busier than usual.

Image source, Reuters

Unlike during the first Tube strike this week, this second one will coincide with a separate walkout by bus drivers in east London, which is planned for Friday.

More than 300 bus drivers on seven routes are set to walk out at an Bow bus garage at 05:00 BST as part of a series of 24-hour strikes taking place on three Fridays - 17 April, 24 April and 15 May.

Explaining the reasons for the strike, Unite said drivers did not have "adequate breaks", had extra weekend working and had insufficient time between shifts to recuperate, with "near misses" reported.

A Stagecoach spokesperson said "schedules, driver duties and rotas are compiled strictly within the law" with safety in mind and remained "comfortably within agreed" limits, despite recent changes to routes.

The routes affected by the action will be 8, N8, 25, N25, 425, 205 and N205.

Again, as happened on Tuesday only drivers who are members of the RMT are taking part in the action, which is about half of the workforce.

Members of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (Aslef) are not striking, meaning some services will still run, although disruption is still expected to be widespread.

Aslef has accepted TfL’s proposal for a voluntary compressed four-day week and questioned the RMT’s decision to strike.

Image source, PA Media

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) are due to hold six 24-hour strikes over plans to introduce a voluntary compressed four-day working week.

The union argues the proposed longer shifts could lead to fatigue and impact safety.

TfL says the changes are optional and would give drivers more days off without reducing pay.

You can find out all you need to know here.

As happened on Tuesday, the strike is set to begin at midday and last into Friday but significant disruption will occur both in the hours leading up to the walkout and after it.

On Tuesday the Circle line was suspended for the entire time while the Waterloo & City was suspended on Wednesday morning.

Other lines reported part suspensions and severe delays with fewer trains running and it is likely that similar disruption will happen this time round.

Once the strike is over on Friday, it will still take time for the service to recover, with Transport for London (TfL) warning that disruption could last into the evening.

Currently, the Circle line is suspended, while the District and Metropolitan lines have severe delays and minor delays are reported on the Central, Piccadilly and Victoria lines all due to the upcoming strike, according to TfL.

You can see the latest Tube status on TfL's website, external.

Hello and welcome to our coverage of a 24-hour Tube strike in London.

First things first, no you are not experiencing déjà vu - this is the second 24-hour walkout by drivers from the RMT union this week, and part of a total series of six.

As on Tuesday and Wednesday we'll be bringing you the latest updates throughout the strike.