Which stations and lines will be busiest during the 24-hour London Underground strike?

RMT union members will stage a walkout on the London Underground today in protest over the "displacement" of staff.

The strike will begin at 9pm on Wednesday 25 January on the Central and Waterloo & City lines and last for 24 hours. The walkout is expected to have a knock-on effect for commuters travelling on Thursday 26 January.

Which services are effected by the strike?

There will be no service east of Leytonstone and a reduced service on the rest of the Central line, while the Waterloo & City will not run at all.

All other transport services will be unaffected by the action but some may be busier than usual as customers seek alternative routes.

Transport for London have warned services between Romford and Stratford, particularly Ilford, are likely to be much busier, as well as London Overground stations and lines between Liverpool Street and Chingford.

The Victoria line is likely to be busy, especially around Walthamstow Central station. The Jubilee line between London Bridge and Waterloo is expected to be busy as commuters seek other ways to travel.

Are there replacement bus services?

For customers east of Leytonstone, local bus routes will be boosted with additional bus services but it is likely that buses will be busier than usual, particularly during the morning and evening peak times.

A special bus shuttle service will also operate between Epping and Chingford calling at Epping, Debden, Loughton and Chingford providing connections to London Overground services.

What is the strike about?

RMT union officials say the strike is in protest over the displacement of staff.

Mick Cash, RMT general secretary, said: "RMT negotiators have made strenuous efforts through the ACAS machinery to resolve this dispute but the door has been slammed in our faces.

"Let us be in no doubt, if LU are allowed to get away with this move on the Central Line they will start shunting drivers around the combine at the drop of a hat regardless of the consequences. Our members will be sent out from pillar to post to plug gaps that are solely down to staffing shortages."

Steve Griffiths, London Underground's chief operating officer, said: "This strike is completely unnecessary. Like any responsible transport authority we regularly examine how we can provide the best possible service to customers‎ and to achieve this sometimes we need to move staff from locations where they are under-utilised, to the places where they are really needed. We have agreements with the trade unions that enable us to do this.

"Following a review on the Central line we identified eight train drivers on the east end of the line where there is not enough work for them and we have asked them to move to another line where their work would make a real difference and help give our customers a better service."