Coronavirus: TfL cuts tube and bus services

Transport for London (TfL) has closed 40 tube stations across the capital and reduced the number of trains and buses operating within the city.

The decision was made following the Government’s advice to not make anything but essential journeys.

Londoners are being urged by the Mayor of London Sadiq Kahn not use public transport, in order to free up capacity for critical workers.

From Friday morning (March 20), there will be no service on the Waterloo & City line.

On Friday and Saturday nights there will be no all-night ‘Night Tube’ service or the all-night ‘Night Overground’ service that currently runs on the East London line.

TfL says available staff will be redeployed to ensure the resilience of the regular Tube and Overground services.

Late services on the Tube and Overground will continue to run, with trains running late into the night on all days for essential travel only.

From Monday March 23, TfL will gradually reduce the frequency of other services across the TfL network to provide a service for critical workers to get to where they need to – ensuring that remaining services are not overcrowded.

TfL is aiming to run Tube trains every four minutes in Zone 1, with the possibility that this will reduce further.

Similarly, from next week until further notice, London Overground, TfL Rail, the DLR and London Trams will run fewer services.  

On the bus network, from March 23 until further notice, a service similar to a Saturday will run. TfL's night bus network will continue, to provide critical workers with a reliable night option. 

Mike Brown MVO, London’s transport commissioner, said: “The advice from Government is clear – people should now only be making journeys that are absolutely essential. We and our staff are doing everything we can to ensure that people who need to make essential journeys can continue to do so.

“Everyone should follow the advice of Public Health England to ensure they are doing everything they can to stay safe and limit the spread of the virus.”

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, added: “People should not be travelling, by any means, unless they really, really have to. Londoners should be avoiding social interaction unless absolutely necessary, and that means they should be avoiding using the transport network unless absolutely necessary.”