Urgent escalator maintenance was required to ensure safe station operation for passengers. Repair work finished on Sunday morning, three days early.

Piccadilly line passengers are now able to access Earl's Court the morning after urgent escalator works finished ahead of schedule on Sunday.

London Underground's (LU's) rigorous maintenance checks two weeks ago found that bearings in one of the escalators between the Piccadilly and District line platforms were likely to fail within the next few weeks.

If the escalator had failed it could then not be used as a fixed staircase.

Owing to the limited space available to carry out works on the faulty escalator and only a narrow spiral staircase as a backup, LU needed to close the area around the escalator to carry out the works.

LU's maintenance teams worked flat out to complete the work from Tuesday night and finished ahead of schedule on Sunday morning, limiting disruption to regular passengers and those attending events in the local area.

LU's Chief Operating Officer, Howard Collins, said: 'This is great news for our passengers and reflects the hard work that our staff put in to minimise the disruption caused by emergency repair works on the Underground network.

'Where possible, we always try to plan maintenance and upgrade work well in advance but sometimes we have to act quickly to carry out works as problems arise.

'I apologise to any customers who have been affected by this closure over the past few days.'

Notes to editors:

  • The Tube is undergoing a huge and essential programme to upgrade its ageing infrastructure - vital to cope with a growing population and to support the economic development and growth of the Capital and the UK
  • This includes the introduction of new track and signalling and the rebuilding of some of our most important stations. By the end of the current programme there will be 30 per cent more capacity
  • This will inevitably result in some disruption for passengers, but Transport for London (TfL) is working hard to provide information and alternative travel options. The work is essential to provide for London's growing transport needs now, and into the future
  • TfL is urging all Londoners and Tube, London Overground, London Tramlink and Docklands Light Railway passengers to check before they travel at weekends, allowing extra journey time where necessary