Extended Closures Planned on Piccadilly and District Lines

Engineering work to hit services outside the weekend

Rail replacement bus services will operate . Picture: Geof Shepherd

September 15, 2023

There are to be extended closures on both the Piccadilly and District lines over the next few week which will not just affect weekend services.

The first closure will take place on both lines from 9.30pm on Friday 15 September to Sunday 17 September and further work close the District line between Thursday 26 October and Sunday 29 October.

This is to allow maintenance work to be completed including renewing track at Hammersmith and West Kensington Tube stations, with sleepers, rails and ballast all changed. In addition, a new drainage system will be installed at West Kensington station during the October closure, which TfL says will reduce the risk of ongoing delays on the District line and make journeys smoother, more comfortable and more reliable.

Passengers are advised to complete journeys on the Piccadilly and District lines by 8.30pm on Friday 15 September as there will be no service after 9pm. From then until the end of service on Sunday 17 September, the District line will be closed from Earl’s Court to Ealing Broadway and Richmond.

The Piccadilly line will be closed from Hyde Park Corner to Northfields and Uxbridge until the morning of Sunday 17 September. From then, the closure will be reduced to Hyde Park Corner to Acton Town. This will mean that the Uxbridge and Northfields branches will operate to Acton Town on Sunday 17 September, however passengers will need to use rail replacement buses to complete journeys between Acton Town and central London.

Rail replacement buses will operate for all local stations on the affected parts of both lines during the closure. Customers wishing to travel to Heathrow Airport are advised to use the Elizabeth line or express coach services to and from Hammersmith. The Central and Metropolitan lines also connect to some areas affected by the closure and are scheduled to operate normally. Closed Piccadilly line stations will be served by rail replacement buses during Night Tube operating hours. The rest of both the Piccadilly and District lines are scheduled to operate as normal through the weekend, and a full service will resume across both lines on Monday 18 September.

Replacement buses:

District

Service DL1: Earls Court - Hammersmith - Ravenscourt Park - Stamford Brook - Turnham Green - Chiswick Park - Gunnersbury (for London Overground connections to/from Kew Gardens and Richmond) - Acton Town - Ealing Common - Ealing Broadway - South Ealing (towards Earls Court only) - Northfields

Service DL3 (late Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, early Saturday and Sunday morning): Turnham Green - Chiswick Park - Gunnersbury - Kew (Royal Botanic Gardens).

Some early Sunday morning buses also serve Willesden Junction, Acton Central and South Acton due to a London Overground closure.

Piccadilly

Service DL1: Daytime service: Earls Court - Hammersmith - Ravenscourt Park - Stamford Brook - Turnham Green - Chiswick Park - Gunnersbury - Acton Town - Ealing Common - Ealing Broadway - South Ealing (eastbound buses towards Earls Court only) - Northfields

Service PL2 (Friday and Saturday overnight service): Hyde Park Corner - Knightsbridge - South Kensington - Gloucester Road - Earls Court - Hammersmith - Turnham Green - Acton Town - Ealing Common - Ealing Broadway - South Ealing (eastbound buses towards Hyde Park Corner only) - Northfields

Service PL4: Daytime service: Ealing Broadway (for Central and Elizabeth line) - North Ealing - Hanger Lane (for Central line and Park Royal) - Alperton - Sudbury Town - Sudbury Hill - South Harrow - Rayners Lane

Service PL9: Day and overnight service: Hammersmith - Osterley, non-stop

A further closure between Thursday 26 October and Sunday 29 October will allow the work to be completed. Only the District line will be closed for this work, with no service between Earl’s Court and Ealing Broadway, Richmond or Kensington (Olympia). Rail replacement buses will run again during this closure. The District line is scheduled to operate as normal on Monday 30 October.

Richard Jones, TfL’s Director of Asset Performance Delivery, said, “We understand that closures like this may cause disruption to our customers, but the track work being completed is vital to ensure that the Tube can continue to operate as reliably as possible in these areas. Rail replacement buses will operate throughout the work and the Elizabeth, Central and Metropolitan lines will run as scheduled to allow customers to complete their journeys. I would encourage customers to check before they travel using our travel tools and I thank them in advance for their understanding.”