Commuters and tourists in London are facing a weekend of significant travel disruption as Transport for London (TfL) has announced a full closure of a key Tube line alongside other major service changes.
Full Piccadilly Line Shutdown
The entire Piccadilly line will be out of action across Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th January 2026. The closure, due to essential track work, means no trains will run on the line for the entire weekend. This suspension also includes the Friday and Saturday Night Tube services on the line.
Passengers are being advised to use alternative London Underground and rail services, or local and replacement bus routes to complete their journeys. The Piccadilly line is a crucial artery for Heathrow Airport and serves many central and north London destinations, meaning the impact will be widely felt.
Tram and Rail Network Disruption
The disruption extends beyond the Tube network. Significant parts of London's Tram network will also be closed or will finish early for maintenance work over the same weekend.
On Saturday, there will be no tram service between East Croydon and Beckenham Junction, Elmers End, or New Addington after 8:30pm. On Sunday, this early closure will begin at 10pm. Furthermore, there will be no service to or from Elmers End, and between East Croydon and Sandilands for the whole of Sunday. These changes will primarily affect residents in the Bromley and Croydon areas.
Adding to the travel woes, the Elizabeth line will operate a reduced service between Paddington and Maidenhead/Heathrow on Sunday due to Network Rail engineering work.
Major Rail Works on Brighton Main Line
Separate but concurrent engineering work by Network Rail will cause severe disruption for travellers heading to the south coast and Gatwick Airport. The Brighton Main Line will be closed between Brighton and East Croydon all weekend.
Network Rail teams are installing new track rails and refurbishing crossings and switches in areas like Purley and Coulsdon to improve reliability and safety. Drainage systems at Caterham are also being repaired to reduce future weather-related cancellations.
Lucy McAuliffe, Sussex route director for Network Rail, explained the necessity of the work: "The busy Brighton Main Line is among the most complex and congested routes in the country... We need to carry out this work to try to prevent delays to passenger journeys." She added that the quieter January period was chosen to minimise impact on the vital leisure and tourism industry.
The closure will affect Southern, Thameslink, and Gatwick Express services. Passengers are warned to allow an extra 90 minutes for their journeys. Rail replacement bus services will operate between Gatwick Airport and Purley/East Croydon, as well as on the branch lines between Reigate and Redhill, and Redhill and Tonbridge.
Alternative travel arrangements include buses linking Three Bridges or Gatwick Airport to East Grinstead, where frequent trains to London via East Croydon will run. A diverted train service between Gatwick Airport and Victoria, calling at Clapham Junction, will also be in operation.
Travelers are strongly urged to check the full list of TfL service changes and plan their journeys in advance to avoid lengthy delays during this weekend of coordinated transport works.
