Tube unions will walk out at 6.30pm on Sunday, with services not expected to resume until Tuesday morning.

People travelling to work on Monday morning will be worst hit while there will be enormous pressure on London buses and the roads as they pick up the slack.

Hopes that there could be a resolution to the dispute, which centres around the loss of 800 jobs, were dashed earlier today.

The RMT and TSSA unions offered to suspend the industrial action if London Underground management agreed to a new deal, which included suspending job cuts for 12 weeks while a safety evaluation was undertaken.

But talks have broken down, union officials said.

Transport for London plans to add an extra 100 buses to the capital’s roads on Monday and the availability for river journeys have been increased. Taxi ranks will be marshalled to ensure they operate effectively. Normal services are also expected to run on London Overground, DLR, and Tramlink.

TfL says up to 50 per cent of services were operated during the last strike at the beginning of November, but it is urging commuters to consider alternative journey options.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “I feel sure that the defiance and contempt Londoners have shown for the previous futile strike action will be evident once more.

“The leaderships of the TSSA and RMT may well cause inconvenience through their stubborn refusal to face facts, but we are determined to keep the Capital moving by all means available to us. London will not be beaten.”