A strike by Piccadilly line Tube drivers could mean little to no service this week on the line between Wednesday (September 26) and Sunday (September 30).

Disruption from the industrial action spread over three days includes a 48-hour strike by drivers which may lead to no service at all on the London Underground line.

Commuters using the Piccadilly line have been told by Transport for London to complete their journeys by 1pm on Wednesday. Services will resume on Friday at around 3.30pm before winding down again at around 10pm.

Service then resumes on Saturday morning at 7.30am on the Heathrow branch and from 8.30am on the Uxbridge to Acton branch.

TfL has said that there are talks scheduled with the RMT Union, which is coordinating the strikes, but warns there could be little to no service of the line, with services outside strike timings like the Night Tube on Friday also likely to be impacted.

A scheduled Piccadilly line strike could cause travel chaos

Those wishing to travel to Heathrow during the strike period are advised to use wither half-hourly TfL Rail services on the route formerly known as Heathrow Connect, or the Heathrow Express, both starting from Paddington.

The RMT Union has said its Piccadilly line tube drivers will strike on Wednesday afternoon (September 26), from 12pm for 48 hours until 12pm on Friday (September 28).

Following a brief resumption in service, another five-hour strike is planned on Saturday (September 29), from 8.30pm to 1.30am on Sunday (September 30).

TfL added that although the strikes are not expected to affect other lines, certain interchange stations like Hammersmith, Green Park and King's Cross are likely to be much busier than normal.

TfL is also activating more uses to cope with additional demand.

Why are Piccadilly line Tube drivers striking?

The Piccadilly line Tube drivers have been in a long-running dispute with London Undergound , and now say that the company has failed to act on agreements reached following previous strikes.

Transport workers union RMT has cited "the abuse of policies and procedures, delays and cancellations to planned training, failure to release reps for important meetings and dragging their feet over implementation on key health and safety ‎issues" as the reason for the fresh industrial action.

As a result, Tube drivers have elected not to book any shifts during the strike period.

RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said: “RMT has given Tube bosses ample time to rebuild trust and relations with staff on the Piccadilly Line but instead they have strung us along and mugged us off and our members aren't having it.

The RMT Union has been in a longstanding dispute with TfL over driver's conditions on the Piccadilly line

"That's why we have had no choice but to put this action on and the responsibility for the chaos that will ensue on a line serving Heathrow and half a million passengers a day lays fair and square with London Underground management.

“The company seem to think that they can promise improvements one day and then get away with playing fast and loose with safety and taking liberties with policies and procedures the next. Well, they can't.

“Relations have now sunk to rock bottom and the Piccadilly Line remains a volatile powder keg due to the management contempt for the workforce. That has to change, and quickly. RMT remains ‎available for genuine and serious talks.”

What is TfL doing to stop the disruption?

Nigel Holness TfL's Director of Network Operations for London Underground, said: "We will provide customers with the latest information in order to help them plan their journeys during this possible strike action.

"The TfL website, journey planner and social media channels will all feature up-to-date travel advice and will be updated throughout the week. We have met with the RMT leadership to identify areas where we can work together to resolve this dispute.

"I urge them to continue to work constructively with us so that Londoners aren't subjected to disruption across several days next week."

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