Heatwave: Severe delays on almost all tube lines as journeys down by 18 per cent from last week
Londoners have stayed at home to avoid the extreme heat and travel disruption, with a marked decline in the number of journeys made today.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan warned the train network would be operating with speed restrictions, which may cause delays, and commuters should consider working at home.
On Monday morning, a number of lines had severe delays, including the Bakerloo, Central, District, Elizabeth and Jubilee, while the Thameslink had a special service, and the Gatwick Express announced it was not running any trains at all.
Gatwick Airport said there had not been any disruption as a result.
According to the latest figures released by Transport for London (TfL), by 10am on Monday there had been just over 1m entries and exits on the tube, which is roughly 50 per cent of the pre-pandemic demand, and 18 per cent down on last Monday.
It added there was an 81 per cent drop in bus journeys up until 10am, on pre-pandemic levels, while this was 10 per cent down from last week, with just over 1m journeys made.
TFL said the decline was to do with high temperatures, but there were other factors at play too, including Mondays typically having lower usage of public transport, the school holidays meaning less journeys taking place, and the increase in hybrid working.
The Hammersmith and City Line was completely suspended, while Met line is suspended between Baker Street and Aldgate due to heat related speed restrictions, and has severe delays on the rest of the network.
Lines which have continued to operate as normal are the Northern, Victoria, Circle, Waterloo and City, and the DLR.
This comes after the Met Office issued a level four red heat warning with temperatures expected to exceed 40 degrees.
The Met Office warned on Friday the heat will likely “lead to widespread impacts on people and infrastructure”, with reports on Monday of issues with water shortages in Norfolk
Khan advised Londoners to “stay out of the sun at the hottest periods between 11-3pm & apply sun cream when outdoors.
“The hot weather can be dangerous for everyone” he added, warning people to “only use public transport if your journey is absolutely necessary.”
He added that “the London Underground will be running with speed restrictions.”
Network Rail also issued a national warning to not travel unless it was absolutely essential, saying “there will be delays and cancellations”.
A number of lines have a ‘special service’. They include Avanti West Coast, c2c, Chiltern Railways, East Midlands Railway, First Trans Pennine Express, Grand Central, Great Northern, Island Line, London North Eastern Railway, Merseyrail, Northern Rail, ScotRail, South Western Railway, Southeastern, Southern, Thameslink, Transport for Wales,.
Jake Kelly, Network Rail’s System Operator group director, added “the wellbeing of our passengers is our first priority so we’re asking all passengers who decide to travel to take time to prepare before leaving the house.”
“Journeys will take significantly longer and delays are likely as speed restrictions are introduced to keep passengers and railway staff safe, so make sure to allow considerably more time to complete your journey and be prepared for very hot conditions”