Will the Tube and trains be running for King’s Coronation? How ceremony is affecting TfL and rail services

Rail operators and TfL have issued an update on services to and around London and Windsor over the coronation weekend
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Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to travel to London this weekend for the King's Coronation.

Wellwishers from around the UK and the world are expected to descend on the capital to watch the procession and view the ceremony live on giant screens set up in key locations around the city. But with huge numbers of people heading to London, travellers are being urged to expect delays and disruption on public transport, including trains, the London Underground and buses.

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Fortunately, for those travelling by rail, there are no planned rail strikes over the coronation weekend and rail operators say a full service should be running around the country. Network Rail, which is responsible for track maintenance and signalling said: "The vast majority of Britain’s railway will be open as usual during the coronation. There are no railway line closures into any of the major London stations, meaning you can rely on the railway to join in the Coronation celebrations."

Some rail companies are planning additional services to cover travel to London and to Windsor for the Coronation Concert on Sunday 7 May. Other operators have said they will put on longer trains to deal with the extra demand.

National Rail Enquiries notes that although there will be additional services, routes into London will be extremely busy and extra measures could be put in place to manage crowds, including queuing systems around stations. Passengers are advised to allow more time to travel and to reserve travel in advance where possible.

(Image: NationalWorld/Getty)(Image: NationalWorld/Getty)
(Image: NationalWorld/Getty)

On Sunday, Great Western Railway and South Western Railway are putting on additional trains to and from Windsor for concertgoers, with services running into the early hours of Monday morning. Passengers coming from London are being advised to use South Western Railway services from London Waterloo to Windsor and Eton Riverside. Those travelling from the Midlands and South West should use GWR services from Reading, changing at Slough for Windsor and Eton Central. Both operators urge anyone without a concert ticket not to travel to Windsor.

TfL services

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Most Transport for London (TfL) services, including Underground, bus and tram, will operate as normal over the weekend but travellers are being warned to expect delays as they are far busier than usual.

Tube trains will run normally over the weekend, and on Friday 5 and Saturday 6 May Night Tube and Night Overground services will run. There will be no Night Tube on Sunday 7 May, so anyone returning from the coronation concert in Windsor is being advised to plan their return journey accordingly.

Although following their regular timetable, undeground and overground trains are expected to be exceptionally busy and TfL says short-term safety measures such as queuing, station closures, trains not stopping at some stations or changes to the way people enter or exit a station are likely to be necessary.

In particular, Westminster, Green Park, Charing Cross, Embankment, Victoria, Hyde Park Corner, Knightsbridge, Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus, Temple and Marble Arch stations are expected to be very busy. In addition St James’s Park station will be closed on 6 May and Hyde Park Corner will be exit-only for much of the day. 

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Bus services around the city will still operate but will be busier than usual and some routes around Westminster will be diverted or stop short of their destination due to road closures.

Travellers can check the status of public transport using TfL’s live trackers for bus, traffic and Tube/rail/tram.

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