From Valletta to Victoria: How London’s Tube Strike Stranded Maltese Travellers Overnight

Maltese Commuters, Students and Holidaymakers Caught in London Tube Chaos
By Sarah Vella, Hot Malta Correspondent

When the Piccadilly Line ground to a halt at 05:30 on Tuesday morning, the ripple was felt 2,000 kilometres away—right here in Malta. More than 3.5 million daily journeys on the London Underground were cancelled or delayed after 10,000 RMT union members walked out over pay, pensions and job security, and the Maltese were among the hardest-hit expatriate groups.

From Swatar to Sliema, WhatsApp groups lit up with screenshots of crimson “SEVERE DELAYS” alerts. “I had a 10 a.m. meeting with clients in Canary Wharf,” groaned Karl Micallef, a 29-year-old UX designer who flew out of Malta International Airport on Monday night. “I ended up sprinting from Paddington to Bank in the rain—ruined my new leather shoes and probably the deal.”

Malta’s Office for National Statistics estimates that 4,800 Maltese passport holders live in Greater London, while Air Malta alone operates three daily flights to Heathrow and Gatwick. The strike coincided with a half-term surge of Maltese families heading to see West End shows and Premier League matches. “We queued two hours for a bus to the Natural History Museum,” said Claudine Borg, a teacher from Żebbuġ travelling with her two children. “We could have been eating pastizzi at Is-Suq by now.”

The industrial action is rooted in a decade-long dispute over real-terms pay cuts and the looming threat of driverless trains. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch—already a cult hero on Maltese meme pages after his viral TV sparring matches—insists the strike is “about protecting dignified work”. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak counters that unions are “holding the capital hostage”.

For Maltese observers, the clash has a familiar ring. Malta’s own industrial heritage—from the 1958 dockyard strikes to the 2021 Air Malta pilots’ dispute—has shaped islander attitudes to workers’ rights. “We know what it means to fight for fair pensions,” said Mario Farrugia, president of the General Workers’ Union. “Solidarity to our comrades in London.”

Yet the cultural impact goes beyond slogans. Maltese gastropub “The George” in Pimlico reported takings down 40 % on strike day. Owner Luke Briffa, originally from Gżira, had to cancel a traditional rabbit-stew night. “Our regulars rely on the District Line,” he sighed. “I’m shipping in ftira from Valletta to cheer them up, but it’s not the same.”

Tour operators in Malta have scrambled to re-route excursions. Chevron Holidays emailed 180 customers offering Thames Clipper boat vouchers instead of Tube day-passes, while language schools postponed Oxford Street shopping trips. “We’ve turned the strike into a teachable moment,” laughed Maria Bezzina, head of Gateway School of English. “Students are learning vocabulary like ‘replacement bus service’ and ‘overcrowded platform’.”

Back on the island, Maltese commuters who normally brag about London’s efficiency were quick to gloat. “We complain about our Arriva buses, but at least we don’t pay £2.80 for a single journey that never shows up,” quipped a post on the popular Facebook group “Malta Past & Present”.

By Wednesday, a skeleton service resumed, but further strikes are pencilled for the coming weekends. The British Transport Police warned of “dangerous overcrowding” as football fans descend on Wembley for the FA Cup semi-finals. Among them could be hundreds of Maltese Chelsea and Manchester City supporters who booked long before the strike ballot.

For now, Maltese travellers are advised to download Citymapper, pack comfortable shoes and perhaps a packet of Twistees for the long walk between sights. As Karl Micallef put it while boarding his return flight at Heathrow, “Next time, I’m taking the ferry to Gozo—at least the waves are predictable.”