Night Tube launch suspended 'to conclude union talks'

The controversial move to have 24-hour Tube services on selected lines on Friday and Saturday each week was vehemently opposed by worker unions.

The pressure has finally told and LU said it will defer the launch, which was planned for September 12, to allow conclude talks with the unions.

LU has not announced a new date of when the Night Tube will be launched but said it will be this autumn.

Workers were due to strike this week but the walkout was suspended as an “act of goodwill” during union negotiations.

The scheme will include the Central line to Loughton and the whole of the Victoria line.

LU Managing Director, Nick Brown, said: “Further to the progress made in recent days with the trade unions and the suspension of strike action, we believe we are not far from an agreement that protects the work-life balance of our employees and is affordable, sustainable and fair.

“As such, we have decided to defer the introduction of Night Tube to allow more time for those talks to conclude.

“Our objective is to reach an agreement that ends this dispute and delivers the Night Tube for Londoners this autumn.”

Mick Cash, general secretary of the Rail Maritime Transport (RMT) union, said planned strike action for September 8 to 10 could still go ahead despite the announcement today.

He said: “RMT welcomes this move which is what we have been calling for ever since we went into dispute over the Night Tube issue.

“We warned repeatedly that it would be dangerous and foolish to press ahead with bodged Night Tube plans until the very basics in terms of staffing and safety had been agreed with the unions through the long-established frameworks.

“This move proves that our members were right to strike and were right to warn the public about the consequences of the mad rush to introduce the Mayor’s Night Tube plans without agreement.

“The fact that the plans have now been suspended indefinitely to some vague date 'in the autumn' is clearly a massive embarrassment.”