London Tube strikes: Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham fans face travel disruption with major shutdowns planned

Tube strikes across several lines that have begun, and are planned to continue throughout December, could have significant impacts on fans travelling to Premier League matches.

A 24-hour strike began on Friday morning at 4:30am, involving drivers on the Victoria, Central, Northern, Jubilee and Piccadilly lines, which has also had a major impact on the Waterloo and City line.

Drivers will again not work on the Central and Victoria lines from 8:30pm on Saturday evening, with further action planned each weekend in December on those two lines.

If it goes ahead, these strikes will run through the night on Fridays and Saturdays.

This would finish with a five-line 24-hour shutdown on December 18, which could cause havoc for sports fans.

There is no planned action on the District Line, meaning Chelsea fans travelling to Stamford Bridge in December should be unaffected, though tubes will likely be busier as people are forced to use other services.

Here’s how fans of some of the Premier League’s London clubs could be impacted by the strikes over the next month.

Arsenal:

While the Gunners’ home clash with Newcastle this Saturday does not take place during a strike, there is a chance fans travelling to the Emirates will be affected.

Arsenal fans using the tube will rely on the Victoria or Picadilly line, with drivers on those involved in the action.

Shutdowns on those lines end early on Saturday morning, but the strike could still lead to delays and fewer tubes than expected, with the impact often felt beyond just the hours in which the strike occurred.

The Piccadilly line has been the worst hit by the strikes that have taken place so far, however TFL are confident Arsenal fans will not be disrupted this weekend.

“We are not predicting any impact [on fans],” a TfL spokeswoman said. “There might be some impact on early, early services, just because the strike action runs until 4:29am, but I wouldn’t imagine much impact later in the morning.”

The further action planned on Saturday evening could potentially have an impact. There is likely to be less staff at stations, while the walkouts later in the day means schedules of drivers are affected as they prepare to leave.

There is a similar risk for Arsenal’s home match with Southampton on December 11. The match will finish just a few hours before the strike that Saturday evening, and so there could be a delayed service as drivers adjust their usual working day.

Potentially impacted fixtures:

Arsenal vs Newcastle - 27th November, 12:30pm

Arsenal vs Southampton - 11th December, 3pm

West Ham:

Strikes planned throughout December will involve the Central Line, which would impact Hammers fans who rely on that to get to the London Stadium.

Those attending the match at home to Chelsea on December 4 are likely to be on the tube a few hours after the strike has finished that morning, with services potentially not back up to full speed by then.

That will similarly impact Chelsea fans trying to get across London for the early-kick off on Saturday.

Should the major strike take place on December 18, West Ham fans will face significant problems getting to the ground for the Norwich game.

There would be shutdowns all day on Saturday on the Victoria, Central, Northern, Jubilee and Piccadilly lines, causing havoc for supporters both before and after the match.

Potentially impacted fixtures:

West Ham vs Chelsea - 4th December, 12:30pm

West Ham vs Norwich - 18th December, 3pm

Tottenham:

Spurs fans will be relieved to see they have no home fixtures on a Saturday during the planned action.

The only risk of their travel being impacted comes on Sunday December 5, when Tottenham host Norwich.

The Victoria line would have opened up again early that morning and should be back up to a normal service, however there is the possibility that delays could still be in place.

Potentially impacted fixture:

Tottenham vs Norwich - 5th December, 2pm

Man City:

City fans travelling to London to watch their side face Watford on December 4 are unlikely to be affected getting to Vicarage Road, with only the Victoria and Central lines facing shutdowns that day.

But any fan who needs to use those tubes after the match to get home could be impacted.

The strike action will start at 8:30pm, just an hour or so after the match will finish, meaning there could be severely delayed services in the lead up to the shutdown.

Potentially impacted fixture:

Watford vs Man City - 4th December, 5:30pm

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