Around 750,000 people are expected to travel to the capital from Wednesday to pay their respects to the late monarch as she is in state for four days before her funeral on Monday. The public has been warned they could face 12-hour queues to see her coffin at Westminster Hall. Network Rail, the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) and Transport for London (TfL) have urged travelers to plan ahead and expect busy services and congested stations, adding that passengers should consider walking on final their destinations in the capital, if possible. TfL said not to drive into London if possible – and avoid Green Park tube station altogether if traveling on public transport – while other stations including Westminster, Victoria, Waterloo, Hyde Park Corner and Marble Arch are also expected to be extremely busy. “It is expected that we will see unprecedented travel demand in the capital, especially from Wednesday 14 September,” the three organizations said on Monday. RDG, which represents all rail operators, said on the day of the funeral it would not be possible to see the funeral in London and then travel to Windsor, where the Queen will be laid to rest. “It makes sense that many people wish to pay their respects to Her Majesty The Queen during this period of national mourning,” said Jason Webb, director of customer information at RDG. “On the day of the funeral, Monday 19 September, people should plan their journey home carefully as trains and stations are likely to be extremely busy.” Travelers were warned that while the London Underground will operate as normal, some “short-term safety measures” may need to be taken, such as queues, closures, non-stopping trains or changes to the way customers enter or exit a station. The road closures will mean that some buses will be diverted or stopped near their destination, while others will run reduced routes. “Roads and public transport in and around central London will be very busy,” the organizations said. “The London Underground and rail services will be the best ways to get around central London.” The travel warnings came after London Underground services were severely disrupted on Monday morning due to what TfL described as “power supply issues”. Subscribe to Business Today Get ready for the business day – we’ll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The entire Victoria line was suspended at around 7am, before reopening later. The Piccadilly line was suspended between Hyde Park Corner and Cockfosters, with severe delays on the rest of the line. Tube stations including Oxford Circus and King’s Cross were evacuated and closed due to the problem. Hotels in the capital reported an increase in bookings during the period of official mourning. Travelodge, which has almost 80 hotels in the city, said it had “seen an increase in bookings to London from all corners of the UK”. The last person to remain in state in the United Kingdom was the Queen Mother. An estimated 200,000 people visited Westminster Hall to pay their respects before her funeral on 9 April 2002.
