The London Underground faces indefinite closures due to coronavirus concerns.
Just this morning, Transport for London have announced tube closures all across the city, with many shutdowns effective immediately.
Changes to our services
To support critical workers we’re running a reduced service #COVID19
Everyone’s urged not to use public transport for anything other than essential journeys
👉 Keep informed by checking our dedicated coronavirus webpagehttps://t.co/X7IevIZMSj pic.twitter.com/3YlBO9itrr
— TfL (@TfL) March 19, 2020
This follows last night’s announcement that all UK schools will be closing from Friday, except for the vulnerable and children of key workers. Even earlier this week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson encouraged Londoners to avoid all-but-essential contact; working from home where necessary and avoiding bars and restaurants.
According to reports, coronavirus is spreading more rapidly in London than the rest of the UK. At the time of writing, there are currently over 950 confirmed cases in London alone, and more than 30 people have died.
Up to 40 stations on the rail and bus network will be closed, in an attempt to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. The Night Tube and Night Overground will also be out of action.
The Waterloo & City line will be shut entirely from Friday, while further closures will begin on Monday (March 23). Several stations are already affected by the closures and all stations are liable to immediate closure without notice, so commuters are advised to check for live updates on the TfL website.
Starting on Monday, buses will run a Saturday timetable, but they’ve promised to continue night services to provide transport options for key workers.
Here’s a list of all 40 stations that are set to close:
Bakerloo Line: Lambeth North, Regents Park, Warwick Avenue, Kilburn Park, Charing Cross
Central Line: Holland Park, Queensway, Lancaster Gate, Chancery Lane, Redbridge
Circle Line: Bayswater, Great Portland Street, Barbican
District Line: Bow Road, Stepney Green, Mansion House, Temple, St James’s Park, Gloucester Road
Jubilee Line: Swiss Cottage, St John’s Wood, Bermondsey, Southwark
Northern Line: Tuffnell Park, Chalk Farm, Mornington Crescent, Goodge Street, Borough, Clapham South, Tooting Bec, South Wimbledon, Hampstead
Piccadilly Line: Caledonian Road, Arsenal, Covent Garden, Hyde Park Corner, Bounds Green, Manor House
Victoria Line: Pimlico, Blackhorse Road
The Mayor, 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.
“London will get through these extraordinarily challenging times, and ensuring the capital’s critical workers can move around the city will be crucial.
“Frontline staff across our health and care service – as well as those ensuring Londoners stay safe and can access food and other essentials – should be commended for their hard work. We owe it to them to do whatever we can to help them do their jobs effectively.”
As reported by The Guardian, a total lockdown for London certainly isn’t off the cards. In his daily press conference on Wednesday, Johnson said:
“I think a lot of people are making a real heroic effort to comply with the advice that we have given but as I’ve said tonight and in the past few days we keep everything under continuous review and we will not hesitate to bring forward further and faster measures where we think that is necessary.
Absolutely we do not rule out… because it would be quite wrong to do so… we do not rule out taking further and faster measures in due course.”
This article will be updated with further information as we have it.