Plan ahead if visiting London this week

12 September 2022
As the nation mourns, thousands of people will be coming together in the days ahead to pay their respects to Her Majesty The Queen.

As Her Majesty's coffin travels to London to lay-in-state at the Palace of Westminster, it is expected that we will see unprecedented travel demand in the capital, especially from Wednesday 14 September.

Transport providers have well-developed plans with extra staff and services coming on-stream to help people get to where they need to be. Network Rail, the Rail Delivery Group and Transport for London (TfL) are working closely together - along with the Government and all other partners involved - to ensure that Londoners and visitors to the capital are able to get around safely and as easily as possible.

London, and many other locations hosting ceremonial events associated with the State Funeral, will be exceptionally busy. Planning journeys ahead of time using real-time travel information will be essential to avoid unexpected delays and changes, such as short notice temporary Tube station closures. Passengers should also continue to check real-time travel information throughout their journeys, to take account of any short notice changes that may take place while they are en route.

Given the likely demand on public transport within London during this period, passengers may wish to consider walking to their final destinations within the capital, if practical and possible. Some road closures will also be in place.

There are likely to be changes to normal routes in and around stations in order to manage queuing and demand and those travelling are advised:

  • That roads and public transport in and around central London will be very busy. London Underground and rail services will be the best ways to get around central London.
  • The Elizabeth line will run a special service with 12 trains per hour on the central section (Paddington-Abbey Wood) on Sunday 18 September to provide further transport options for customers. The East and West sections will operate as normal. Further information is available via TfL Journey Planner.
  • London Underground will run as normal; however, some stations will be busier than usual, and some short-term safety measures such as queuing, closures, non-stopping trains or changes to the way customers enter or exit a station may be necessary.
  • To avoid Green Park Tube station if possible, due to high numbers of customers passing through and to keep capacity for customers who need step-free access. Other Tube stations, such as Victoria, Piccadilly Circus and St James' Park, are within a short walking distance of Buckingham Palace.
  • Due to road closures, some bus services will be diverted or will stop short of their destination, and some may be running a reduced service.
  • To allow plenty of extra time for journeys and to avoid driving where possible.
  • To follow the instructions of staff, event stewards and the police.
  • To check travel planning portals before setting out such as nationalrail.co.uk and https://tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey/

Sir Peter Hendy CBE, chair of Network Rail said: "The transport industry is working hard to help people pay their respects in London and across the United Kingdom. Please make sure you check before you travel as we expect the road and transport networks to be busy. For up-to-date travel information please check www.nationalrail.co.uk or your train operator's website. For London travel information visit www.tfl.gov.uk."  

Andy Byford, London's Transport Commissioner, said: "At such an important and difficult time for the country, we are doing everything we can to ensure Londoners and visitors can pay their respects to Her Majesty The Queen and welcome His Majesty the King. We are working with our partners to keep our city moving smoothly and to ensure that everyone who needs to get around or is planning to attend the memorial events can do so safely. I would urge all customers to check before they travel, using the TfL website or TfL Go app, as while we're planning to run a normal service, there may be short notice changes and diversions as a result of the large number of people travelling and necessary road closures."

​​​​​​​Notes to editors

Additional information:

Those travelling are asked to go to the TfLGo app and on tfl.gov.uk and the National Rail Enquiries website.

Network Rail and TfL Travel Ambassadors will be on hand across our network to answer questions and to provide travel advice to anyone who needs information.