Last-minute talks are to be held today to try and avert the planned 48-hour London tube strike.
Transport for London (TFL) and members of rail union RMT are to meet with conciliation services ACAS in a bid to stop the walkout which is due to start at 9pm (April 28).
The planned strikes are due to a long-running dispute against ticket office closures. The union claims that TFL's modernisation plans, which would see 953 station jobs cut, risks safety and will damage the quality of service.
RMT workers are due to walk out from 9pm on Monday April 28 for two days, and for another three days from 9pm on Monday May 5.
Prime minister David Cameron has called the strikes "unjustified and unacceptable", while London mayor Boris Johnson said the RMT is treating its passengers with "contempt".
"No one will be forced out of a job, no one will lose pay. Fewer than three per cent of journeys start at a ticket office, at a cost of £50 million. By saving that we can help keep fares down," Johnson told The Evening Standard.
A spokesperson for the RMT said it hopes the strikes will lead them to engage in “meaningful and serious talks” with rail bosses.
The last round of strikes were held in February and caused widespread disruption to the network.