Londoners are being urged to check before they travel this weekend as multiple Tube lines will be shut for planned engineering work. The Piccadilly line faces major disruption overnight between Friday and Saturday, while on Sunday the Circle, District, Metropolitan, and Hammersmith and City lines all face closures at various points of the day. Several London Overground lines and the Elizabeth line are also affected.
Weekend closures across the Tube network
On Saturday, August 22, the Circle line will have no service on the entire line until 10:30am, and then no service between Edgware Road and Tower Hill via Victoria until 2pm. The District line will also have no service on the entire line until 10:30am, followed by no service between Edgware Road/Embankment and Ealing Broadway, Kensington (Olympia), Richmond, and Wimbledon until 2pm. TfL has confirmed no eastbound and westbound service between Stamford Brook and Barons Court, and no service between Earl’s Court and Kensington (Olympia) and between Fulham Broadway and Wimbledon after 2pm.
The Hammersmith and City line will have no service on the entire line until 10:30am, while the Metropolitan line will have no service between Aldgate and Harrow-on-the-Hill until 10:30am. On the Piccadilly line, there will be no Night Tube service overnight between Friday and Saturday, and no service between Hyde Park Corner and Acton Town until 2pm. Eastbound trains on the Piccadilly line will not stop at Caledonian Road between now and Monday.
Overground and Elizabeth line changes
On the London Overground, some Mildmay line trains will be amended on Saturday. The 9:04pm and 10:34pm trains from Clapham Junction to Stratford will terminate at Willesden Junction, and the 11:19pm Clapham Junction to Willesden Junction train will not run.
On Sunday, August 23, the District line will have no eastbound and westbound service between Stamford Brook and Barons Court all day, as well as no service between Earl’s Court and Kensington (Olympia) and between Fulham Broadway and Wimbledon. Due to Network Rail maintenance work, the Mildmay line will have no service between Willesden Junction and Clapham Junction until 9:30am, and no service between Camden Road and Stratford after 10:15pm. The Windrush line will have no service between New Cross Gate and Crystal Palace/West Croydon all day, and no service between Highbury and Islington and Dalston Junction after 10:15pm. The Elizabeth line will have no service between West Drayton and Maidenhead until 8am.
Context and impact of the disruptions
These closures come just weeks after the Piccadilly line was completely shut between Cockfosters and Heathrow as TfL prepares the line for a new fleet of trains. Additionally, Charing Cross and Waterloo East stations are set to close on Sunday, just days after reopening following a 22-day closure for £20,000,000 worth of upgrades. Passengers are advised to allow extra time for their journeys.
The disruptions follow a weekend of travel chaos caused by strikes by Arriva bus drivers, affecting dozens of routes across north London and Essex. Unite the union announced the strike earlier this month over a row about working conditions in hot weather, which has gripped the capital throughout the summer and saw the hottest day of the year recorded. The union accused Arriva North London, a TfL contractor, of failing to act on complaints about conditions. Additional strikes have been suspended while members vote on a deal, but if rejected, strikes will resume on Tuesday, August 25, with more planned throughout September and October.
