The cool breeze (and heavy downpours) of autumn have officially arrived in London. If you weren’t quite ready for the seasonal shift, you might be tempted to retreat indoors. Take heart, though – there’s a pretty stellar range of options for soothing cold-weather blues this weekend.
From the new Monet exhibition and latest revival of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot to the Classic Car Boot Sale in King’s Cross, there’s no shortage of stuff to see and do in London this weekend. Plus, it’s the start of the capital’s Oktoberfest celebrations.
Our transport system is pretty used to a bit of rain, but disruption is still planned for the network this weekend. Scheduled closures and changes will allow TfL to carry out vital works on the Piccadilly line, Overground, DLR and more.
Here’s everything you need to know about which lines will close on which days, and some alternative options for getting around if your route is affected.
District Line
On Saturday September 28 and Sunday September 29, no trains will run between Turnham Green and Richmond. Be careful because the Overground won’t run from South Acton to Richmond either. Replacement bus service DL3 operates between Acton Central and Richmond via South Acton (Acton Lane), Turnham Green, Chiswick Park, Gunnersbury and Kew Gardens (Royal Botanic Gardens).
Piccadilly Line
On Friday September 27, anticipate minor delays between Acton Town and Heathrow Terminals / Uxbridge due to train cancellations.
On Saturday September 28 and Sunday September 29, there will be no trains between South Harrow and Uxbridge (check the Metropolitan line closures, because there’s some crossover with those too). Use these replacement buses services instead:
- ML1 between Harrow-on-the-Hill and Uxbridge via West Harrow, South Harrow, Rayners Lane, Eastcote, Ruislip Manor, Ruislip, West Ruislip, Ickenham and Hillingdon
- PL4 between Acton Town and Rayners Lane via Ealing Common, North Ealing, Hanger Lane, Alperton, Sudbury Town, Sudbury Hill and South Harrow
Metropolitan Line
On Saturday September 28 and Sunday September 29, no service on the entire line. Plus, no Chiltern Railways services between Marylebone and Aylesbury Vale Parkway (via Amersham). The following replacement buses will operate, though:
- ML1 between Wembley and Uxbridge (via West Ruislip, where you can connect to the Central line and Chiltern Railways)
- ML2 between Wembley Park and Watford
- ML5 between Northwood and Chesham
- A Chiltern Railways bus service between Beaconsfield (for connecting trains) and Aylesbury Vale Parkway.
You can find the full details of each replacement bus route on TfL’s website. Also take note: Northwood station will have reduced car parking facilities during the works.
Overground
On Friday September 27, there will be a reduced service from Barking Riverside to Gospel Oak, with 6.18am train from Barking Riverside starting from Barking at 6.24am instead.
On Saturday September 28 and Sunday September 29, there will be no trains between South Acton and Richmond. Remember that the district line between Turnham Green and Richmond will also be down. Replacement bus service DL3 operates between Richmond and Acton Central via Kew Gardens (Royal Botanic Gardens), Gunnersbury and South Acton (Acton Lane).
DLR
On Saturday September 28 and Sunday September 29, there will be no service between Bank / Tower Gateway and Poplar / Canary Wharf. West India Quay, a ten-minute walk from Canary Wharf, will still be served by trains between Stratford and Lewisham.
Services between Poplar and Beckton, and between Stratford International and Woolwich Arsenal, will continue as normal. There will be no replacement buses, so TfL recommends taking local London Buses, London Underground or C2C trains instead.
Waterloo & City Line
Service operates Monday to Friday between 6am and 12.30am only. There is no service on Saturdays, Sundays and public/bank holidays.
Trains and tubes on Time Out
In recent London train news on Time Out, did you see that there’s an amazing new exhibition celebrating the history of tube maps? And that 9 of the UK’s busiest train routes are in London? Plus: could Eurostar trains soon start stopping at Stratford International in east London?
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