Three Islington tube stations will be closed for the foreseeable future to limit the spread of coronavirus, Transport for London has announced.
From Thursday 19 March, Tufnell Park station on the Northern line and Caledonian Road and Arsenal stations on the Piccadilly line will be closed until further notice.
Up to 40 underground stations that do not interchange with other lines will be closed as part of a wider reduction in TfL’s services as they attempt to reduce the spread of coronavirus.
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan today warned that Londoners should “avoid using the transport network unless absolutely necessary”.
The Waterloo & City line will stop running entirely from Friday 20 March and the all-night tube and Overground services which run on Friday and Saturday nights will close to free up staff for regular tube services.
Buses across the capital will reduce their frequency, running a service similar to Saturdays, but the night bus network will continue to operate on a reduced timetable in order to ensure critical workers can still commute.
From Monday 23 March the frequency of all other services across the TfL network will be gradually reduced. This includes London Overground, TfL rail, DLR and tram services.
TfL is still aiming to run tube trains every 4 minutes in zone 1, although they have left the door open to reduce this further if the situation changes.
Following the decision to close schools from Friday, TfL will also be reviewing which school buses should still run in order to get the children of critical workers to school.
Anyone who pays for a monthly, three- month, six-month or annual travel season ticket can contact TfL for a refund if their commute has been affected.
Khan said: “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.
“I’m urging Londoners to only use public transport for essential journeys. Everyone should follow this and the other advice to help keep themselves and each other safe,” he added.
