Yes, another dreaded train closure, if you can believe it. Transport for London have announced that the northern parts of the Bakerloo line and the section of the London Overground that runs alongside it will be closed this summer in order to carry out improvements to the track and infrastructure. And this work has now commenced, as of yesterday (Sunday, July 23).
Thankfully the closure doesn’t affect the entire Bakerloo or London Overground line. Stations between Harrow & Wealdstone to Queen’s Park will be affected by the closure of the Bakerloo Line this summer, whilst on the Overground, stations between Watford Junction to Euston will be affected during the four phases of the closure. Throughout the closure, the lines will continue to run on a slightly reduced service.
Phase 1 – Sunday 23 July-Sunday 30 July
- Bakerloo line closed between Queen’s Park and Harrow & Wealdstone
- London Overground closed between Euston and Watford Junction
Phase 2: Monday 31 July – Thursday 10 August
- Bakerloo line closed between Stonebridge Park and Harrow & Wealdstone
- London Overground closed between Willesden Junction and Watford Junction
Phase 3: Friday 11 August-Thursday 17 August
- Bakerloo line closed between Queen’s Park and Harrow & Wealdstone
- London Overground closed between Euston and Watford Junction
Phase 4: Friday 18 August-Friday 25 August
- Bakerloo line is fully open
- London Overground closed between Willesden Junction and Watford Junction
Network Rail will be installing 18,000 modern concrete sleepers in place of wooden ones dating back to the 1950s, and replacing 48km of cabling for signals during the closures. The improvements also include upgrading 1km of railway drainage between Harlesden and Stonebridge Park to prevent future flooding and upgrades to the power supply for trains on both the London Underground and the Overground.
Geoff Hobbs, Director of Public Transport Service Planning for TfL, said: ‘We’re sorry for the disruption that Network Rail’s essential track renewal work will cause to our customers’ journeys and are working closely with them to minimise the impact. Closures of this type enable work to be carried out which will make customer journeys more reliable in future and are scheduled to take place, where possible, in school holidays when demand on our network is significantly reduced.’
To provide alternative transport for those affected, there will be temporary bus routes 718, 719 and 720 which will provide transport to the Bakerloo, Jubilee or Metropolitan lines. The routes will run between Queen’s Park to Harrow & Wealdstone, Stonebirdge Park to Harrow & Wealdstone, Queen’s Park to Wembley Park, and Harrow-on-the-Hill to Watford Junction.
Be sure to plan your routes ahead of time and head to the TfL website for more details.
Closures on both the Bakerloo line and London Underground have now commenced (from July 23) – be sure to check before travelling on these lines.