Londoners heading out this weekend are being warned of severe disruption on the Underground, with the Central and Piccadilly lines partly suspended and the Elizabeth line hit by early-morning engineering works.
Transport for London says the closures — which run from Friday night through to late on Sunday — are needed for a programme of planned improvement works. Passengers are urged to check their routes before travelling and to allow far more time than usual, as Night Tube services are affected too.
Central line hit by two waves of closures
Central line passengers face disruption on two fronts. During the Friday Night Tube into Saturday, no trains will run between Marble Arch and Loughton, or between Marble Arch and Hainault via Newbury Park. Night bus services are being recommended as an alternative.
The shutdown then broadens significantly. From 5.30am on Saturday, and continuing all the way through Sunday — including during the Saturday Night Tube — there will be no Central line service between Liverpool Street and Woodford or Newbury Park. Replacement buses will operate across parts of the route, while anyone travelling overnight towards Wanstead, Redbridge and Gants Hill is advised to use the N8 night bus.
Piccadilly line upgrade brings biggest shutdown
The single largest closure of the weekend falls on the Piccadilly line. No trains will run between Cockfosters and Uxbridge from around 2am on Saturday until the end of service on Sunday, with both the Friday and Saturday Night Tube cancelled on the affected stretch.
Services will keep running between Acton Town and Heathrow Airport, and TfL is directing airport-bound passengers to use the Elizabeth line instead. Other options include the District line between central London and Acton Town or Ealing Common, and the Metropolitan line between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge, with replacement buses covering sections of the closed route. The works form part of the long-running upgrade of the Piccadilly line.
Reduced Elizabeth line service on Sunday
Elizabeth line passengers will also need to plan around engineering work on Sunday. Network Rail maintenance means no trains will run between West Drayton and Maidenhead in the early morning, roughly from 1.20am to 8am, with replacement buses serving parts of the route.
For the remainder of the day, a reduced timetable will operate between Paddington and Maidenhead and towards Heathrow. Just two trains an hour will call at Heathrow Terminal 4, West Drayton, Langley, Slough, Burnham and Maidenhead, while four trains an hour will serve Heathrow Terminals 2 and 3. With the Piccadilly line also heavily disrupted, anyone travelling to Heathrow is being told to set off considerably earlier than normal.
Wider weekend disruption
The DLR will be part-suspended on Sunday, with no service between Shadwell and Tower Gateway. The Waterloo & City line does not operate at weekends as usual.
The Tube closures come as London Overground passengers face major weekend disruption of their own, while Lewisham station is shutting all weekend for Southeastern engineering works. It follows closures across the Tube network last weekend affecting the District, DLR, Piccadilly and Overground lines.
TfL advises passengers to check live departure boards and its online journey planner before setting out, particularly where replacement buses or alternative Tube lines are required.
