Tara Mewawalla
Live reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Transport for London (TfL) says there are "no exceptional delays" on London's major roads. But, as a commuter who has recently become addicted to her bike, I have noticed that the number of cyclists seem to multiply during the recent Tube strikes.

Several companies in London offer bike and scooter hireacross the city and so does TfL, with lots of cycle lanes to make the journey smooth.

With frequent and at times heavy showers expected today, here are some tips on staying safe if this is your first time braving rush-hour traffic on two wheels:

1. Plan your route: Take five minutes before you set off to see if there's a non-main road way of doing it
2. Bring some lights: By law, when it's dark your cycle must have white front and red rear lights lit. Many bikes that you can hire have these built in
3. Look well ahead for road obstructions, such as potholes and drains so you don't have to suddenly swerve to avoid them. These can get slippery when it's wet
4. Always signal clearly before you turn
5. Leave plenty of room when passing parked cars and never undertake lorries on the left-hand side. You are in the driver's blind spot and if the vehicle turns, you could be in danger
6. Wear a helmet

You can find some more advice on cycling in rush-hour traffic here.

Harry Low
BBC London

Around 60% of Tube drivers came to work this morning, a slight increase from Tuesday, Transport for London (TfL) says.

It adds that 91% of Jubilee drivers, 80% of Bakerloo drivers and 75% of Metropolitan drivers showed up - lines predominantly covered by drivers from Aslef, who have accepted the voluntary four-day working week proposals.

A TfL spokesperson says: “Despite the strike, we are still running services across most lines, and a good service has operated on the Jubilee line for much of the day.

"More drivers have come to work today than on Tuesday, and we will continue to do all we can to provide as much service as possible.”

Barry Caffrey
At Shepherds Bush Station

I arrived at Shepherd's Bush earlier on the London Overground.

The train was no busier than usual and once you arrive the first thing you notice is the barriers shut in front of the Tube station.

Shepherd's Bush station is served by the Central line and the route is not operating in the central section between White City and Liverpool Street.

However, as someone who is in this area regularly, I have to say it seems quieter than usual. There are not many people around. The buses look busy and the Overground has got people using it.

Given today is the second 24-hour strike this week, I think people probably decided to use alternative routes or transport.

Lines serving Heathrow's terminals have reopened after the earlier points failure meant no trains, including the Elizabeth line and Heathrow Express, were able to go to and from the airport.

National Rail warns that some services may still be cancelled or delayed while services recover, but most of the issues should be over by 15:30 BST.

The Elizabeth line is currently showing as having minor delays between Hayes & Harlington and the airport terminals.

The Piccadilly line is not running to Heathrow today due to strike action taken by members of the RMT union.

Meghan Owen
Work & Money Correspondent, BBC London

I’ve spoken to local businesses still reeling from previous strikes who say they are “sick and tired” of the industrial action.

Peter Dore-Smith, founder of Kaffeine, runs two coffee shops in London and is serving at Lord's Cricket Ground today on the first day of the test match.

"I have 10 staff, two coffee shops and both are 20% down. The lead chef left home at 4am to be at work at 06:30. I’m just so sick and tired of this ridiculous unfair situation when everything is so hard on us already.

"During the strikes last September I lost 30% of sales, that’s £10,000. I anticipate to lose £5,000-6,000 this time round. It breaks you down mentally, physically, financially. You have to be resilient."

BusinessLDN, a non-profit advocacy group, is urging both sides to reach a "sustainable agreement to put an end to the damaging uncertainty hanging over businesses and London’s economy”.

Ed Richardson, the group's programme director for transport, says: “For many businesses that rely on people visiting in person, the impact of these strikes will have already been felt through cancelled bookings and people changing their plans."

Harry Low
Reporting from Arnos Grove station

Outside the Grade-II listed Arnos Grove station, there are a handful of people waiting for one of the six buses which serve this stop in zone 4.

The two shops inside the beautiful Art Deco station - a florist and newsagent - have closed their doors.

Only a fraction of the normal footfall will pass through here today to admire what is widely considered to be one of finest stations designed by architect Charles Holden, who played a major role in shaping the how London transport looked from the 1920s to 1940s.

That’s because the Piccadilly line is only operating between this station and Cockfosters, which is three stops north from here.

We're into the afternoon and there are now 11 suspended or delayed lines. The majority of these is being caused by the walkout but the Elizabeth line issues are due to a points failure.

For the latest on how each line is affected, visit Transport for London's website, external.

Jacob Phillips
Live reporter

A soggy cycle, a lengthy bus journey or risk the Tube.

Those were my options to get to my late shift at the BBC's Broadcasting House today.

Usually my commute takes around 25 minutes from East Finchley, jumping on the Northern line to Euston before being zoomed along the final stretch of my journey on the almighty Victoria line.

But since Transport for London was warning of severe delays on the Northern line I allowed an extra 20 minutes to get to work this lunch time.

When I arrived at East Finchley I found gaps of around six minutes between trains in both directions - usually trains arrive roughly every three or four minutes.

But after a slightly longer wait on the platform I had no trouble reaching Euston and then as usual the Victoria line arrived instantly.

Just a few minutes were added to my commute but those trying to travel to other areas of London are facing more disruption.

At Oxford Circus the entrance to the Central line had been gated shut due to the strike action, leaving five tourists with suitcases looking very distressed.

There are currently no services between White City and Liverpool Street on the line.

Meanwhile, the Bakerloo line was displaying a warning that trains were being held at Oxford Circus. A signal failure at Paddington is currently adding to delays on the line caused by the strike action.

National Rail says disruption caused by a points failure will continue to cause major disruption on journeys to and from Heathrow Airport until 15:30 BST.

Elizabeth line trains are affected by this, with services between the airport and Hayes & Harlington suspended, although there is a good service on the rest of the line.

There are no Heathrow Express trains running between Heathrow and Paddington, as a result of what the service is calling a "significant incident outside of our control".

There are also no Piccadilly line trains running to the airport due to the strike and Transport for London (TfL) advises people to "use South Western Railway services to / from Feltham station for London Bus connections to / from Heathrow Airport".

As a result of the disruption caused by the points failure, demand for taxis has increased at Heathrow, with TfL appealing on X for drivers to consider heading to the airport "to support increased passenger demand."

Tara Mewawalla
Live reporter

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

While some commuters are frustrated with the delays getting into work in London, others might be a bit more upbeat about the prospect of working from home for the day.

Though working from home became a lot more acceptable and even expected after the pandemic, some companies have been introducing measures to enforce office working five days a week.

I live in east London. My housemate, who works at a sales company in west London is “very excited” to be able to work from home due to the travel disruption.

Her company has a policy where she would usually have to go into work four days a week and can only take Friday to work from home.

She is cheerily cooking herself some eggs in our kitchen for lunch, telling me that today she will have “an extra two hours of my life saved from commuting there, commuting back” and “money saved on the same meal deal I have eaten for the last four years of my life!”

David Greenhalgh, who is an employment lawyer from London, says legally, if your place of work is stated as your office in your employment contract, you should work from there unless your employer says otherwise.

But, he suggests speaking to HR in advance of travel difficulties, adding: "Employers owe a duty for the care health and safety of all their staff and should therefore not encourage employees to travel where doing so would be unsafe for them."

Harry Low
Reporting from King's Cross station

At the taxi rank outside a rainy King's Cross station, demand is outstripping supply.

The queue is snaking around near the Tube entrance, which is lacking Piccadilly and Circle line services.

One black cab driver, Tony, tells me it has taken him 55 minutes to drive from Paddington three miles away, but admits the strikes "pay for my holidays".

Another driver, Shak, says: "It's just too much traffic man, it's not worth it."

He has been out since 10:00 this morning and says he's done four jobs in that time because the traffic makes it difficult to get around.

"I'd rather have a normal day!", he adds.

Passengers looking to get to and from Heathrow Airport this afternoon need to brace themselves for further delays.

The Elizabeth line has experienced a points failure, so is suspended between Heathrow and Hayes & Harlington.

Transport for London says there is a good service on the rest of the line, and tickets are being accepted on London buses.

Separately, National Rail says the Heathrow Express, which runs from Paddington to the airport, is also affected by the points failure and major disruption is expected until 13:30 BST.

It puts extra pressure on people travelling to and from the airport, who already face a closed Piccadilly line, which usually serves its terminals.

Nisha Patel
Reporting from London Waterloo

Mother and daughter Carol and Isobel have been coming to Waterloo for about 10 years. They come every week to work on their patchwork quilts because it's an easy commute for them both.

They say they've seen everything, from angry commuters to happy travellers!

Isobel says she in favour of the strikes as if you don't make a fuss, you won't see change.

She adds that public sector workers are vital and they should get paid properly.

Harry Low
Reporting from Arnos Grove depot

At the Arnos Grove depot in north London where it is starting to rain, I find Lee Maybin, John Stack and Carl Amodeo on the RMT picket line, where they have been since early this morning.

They are not able to speak to me but the RMT's members have rejected an offer for drivers to voluntarily work a four-day week.

Under the proposals, most drivers would see their working week reduced from 36 hours to 35 hours. Their contractual hours would remain the same because paid meal breaks would be introduced.

This effectively means drivers would work longer days, but fewer days each week and fewer overall hours each week.

The RMT union says the working day would be too long under the plans, risking driver fatigue and compromising safety.

The union instead wants a 32-hour week over four days, meaning drivers would work three fewer hours each week for the same salary.

Image source, Getty Images

The sight loss charity Guide Dogs says today's Tube strike is creating extra challenges for people with vision impairments.

The charity says busier pavements, crowded buses and changes to usual travel routes can make journeys more difficult.

It has also raised concerns about e-bikes and scooters being left blocking pavements as commuters seek alternative ways to travel.

Clive Wood, from Guide Dogs, says: “For some, these factors may make journeys feel unpredictable or unsafe, and may lead them to avoid travelling altogether, limiting their independence."

He adds: "While trains may stop, the need for accessibility doesn't."

The charity is asking commuters to be mindful of where they leave hire bikes and to consider how small acts of assistance can help people with sight loss travel safely.

Tara Mewawalla
Live reporter

Image source, Getty Images

It's midday and we're halfway through the second 24-hour strike this week by some drivers on the London Underground.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) Union, which represents today's striking drivers, says it will meet with London Underground again next week to try and resolve their dispute.

It centres around Transport for London's (TfL) plans to introduce a voluntary four-day working week for drivers.

But, despite the disruption on the Tube, TfL has reported that there are "no exceptional delays" on London's major roads - apart from Silvertown Tunnel where utility works are causing "serious delays".

Though, as commuters have found, some buses, trains and the Tubes that are running are busier than usual.

We've been speaking to them as they make their way into work and around the city.

Nick Christoforou took the bus to get to Angel station in Islington and said the strikes were "very inconvenient", while Naoise Standing was travelling to work at Kingston Hospital and said drivers should be allowed to strike, but she was confused about the reasons for the strike this week.

On Tuesday, TfL apologised for the disruption caused by the strike and called on RMT to work with them "to resolve their questions" and suspend future action until that work is completed.

Tom Edwards
Transport Correspondent, BBC London

Phone service provider O2 has analysed its anonymised motion data in the usually-busy parts of the city, which shows footfall is down compared to a normal Thursday morning.

• The City is down by 9%
• King's Cross is down by 12%
• The West End is down by 5%
• Westminster is down by 11%

A Virgin Media O2 spokesperson says the data "highlights the continued impact transport disruption can have on central London, with many people once again changing their usual routines and journeys".

As lunchtime approaches, there are still 10 lines suspended or delayed due to the ongoing driver strikes.

Here's the latest on how each line is affected - for more detailed information and live updates, visit Transport for London's website, external.

Luxmy Gopal
Reporting from Paddington Station

At Paddington station, most people tell me they haven’t been affected by the strikes today.

But Shafaq says she’s had to take a different route which involved a lot more walking and waiting, though it only added around 20 minutes to her usual 90-minute commute.

She says Tuesday’s strike action had a far greater impact on her and she was late for work by around half an hour, even though she left a lot of extra time for the journey.

When I asked if she knew why the drivers were taking industrial action, she says: “I have no idea!”

While the Tube strikes have affected transport in London, large numbers of commuters have continued to transit through the central city.

Here's a selection of pictures taken by news photographers this morning.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images