The rail industry and Transport for London (TfL) are advising that they expect trains and stations to be exceptionally busy over the week of the Queen’s Lying in State. Huge crowds are already turning up at Buckingham Palace, and the news has been reporting that people are travelling from across the country to get to London.
The Rail Delivery Group says that the industry is working to ensure that the public can travel to pay their respect during the official mourning period and particularly on the day of the funeral, but warns that services and stations are likely to be extremely busy.
Jason Webb, the Rail Delivery Group’s Customer Information Director, said: “Understandably, many people wish to pay their respects to Her Majesty the Queen during this period of national mourning. On the day of the funeral, Monday 19 September, people should plan carefully the timing of their journey home as trains and stations are likely to be extremely busy.”
Likewise, TfL has advised that people should check for travel disruptions before making journeys to central London. Green Park tube station has already had to close doors on a few occasions this weekend to cope with crowds heading to Buckingham Palace.
Roads are also going to need to be closed to road traffic around Westminster, and some cycle lanes will need to be suspended. Bus routes in central London will also be affected by the road closures.
Andy Byford, London’s Transport Commissioner, said: “Our thoughts are with His Majesty The King and all members of the Royal Family following the death of Her Majesty The Queen. Thousands of people from all over the UK and beyond are expected to make their way to London to pay their respects. We are working with our partners to keep our city moving smoothly and to ensure that everyone who is planning to attend the memorial events can do so safely.
“Roads and public transport in central London will be very busy, so we advise everyone to allow plenty of extra time for their journeys and to avoid driving where possible. All Londoners and visitors to the capital over the coming days should check before they travel using the latest real-time travel information, which is available on our TfL Go app and on tfl.gov.uk. Additional TfL Travel Ambassadors will be on hand across our network to answer questions and to provide travel advice to anyone who needs it.”
The processions ahead of the funeral
The Queen will arrive in London on Tuesday afternoon, arriving at RAF Northolt in west London, and will travel by road to Buckingham Palace to spend the night.
The following afternoon, Wednesday 14th Sept, there will be a full procession and honour guard (currently expected at 2pm) as the coffin is taken from Buckingham Palace to Parliament for the Lying in State. The Procession will travel via Queen’s Gardens, The Mall, Horse Guards and Horse Guards Arch, Whitehall, Parliament Street, Parliament Square and into Parliament.
The Lying in State
Lying-in-State at the Palace of Westminster opens to the public at 5pm on Wednesday 14th September. It will be open 24 hours a day until it closes at 6.30am on Monday 19th September.
It’s been suggested that the queue to go into Westminster Hall for the Lying-in-State could reach as far as London Bridge at busy times, but the Hall will be open all night as well, so you might want to choose an overnight visit if standing for hours is off-putting. It may be worth noting that the Night Tube will be open over Friday and Saturday night, with the Central, Jubilee, Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria lines running as usual.
The route is currently expected to be along the south bank (being confirmed Tues eve), and depending on where the queue reaches, the closest tube stations will be Vauxhall, Waterloo, Southwark, and London Bridge. There will be marshalls along the route, and at the back of the queue, people will be given wristbands to confirm they have joined the queue.
Because of restrictions inside Parliament, people in the queue won’t be able to bring a folding chair to sit on, and they’re recommending people bring a portable phone charger if needed, but note, no photos will be permitted inside Parliament. The full list of restrictions is here.
The funeral procession
On the day of the funeral, which will be a Bank Holiday in the UK, there will be a short procession from Parliament to Westminster Abbey, and after the funeral, the coffin will travel in Procession from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch. From Wellington Arch, the Coffin will travel to Windsor and once there, the State Hearse will travel in Procession to Windsor Castle via the Long Walk.
The rail industry is warning that people travelling to see the funeral events won’t be able to be in London in the morning and also travel to Windsor by train afterwards, so people should decide which of the two locations they want to attend.
Thameslink have been struggling as of late at weekends, with trains going from Peterborough terminating at Stevenage due to staff shortages. Yesterday there was a signalling fault on part of the line which was affecting trains throughout the day, with some terminating before King’s Cross as a result. Hopefully that’s now been fixed, else it’ll make already busy trains even more pact.
One side effect of the Queen’s passing is that the increased public transport usage may help TFL slightly with their funding shortfall.