It's the August bank holiday this weekend. You know what that means: Carnival (hurrah!), sunshine (hopefully)... and travel disruption due to station closures and engineering works.
Thankfully there's nothing to major to grapple with this time, unlike previous bank holidays when the entirety of Euston station has been closed. But here are some travel disruption factors to be aware of if you are travelling around, into, or out of, London this weekend:
1. Reduced platforms at Euston
Due to engineering works taking place between London and Milton Keynes, a reduced number of platforms is available for use at Euston this weekend, with a knock-on effect on Avanti West Coast and London Northwestern Railway services, as well as London Overground services between Euston and Watford. There are fewer services, and they may be revised or take longer than usual, so check before you set off.
Euston tube station is unaffected and operates as normal all weekend.
Details on Avanti West Coast, London Northwestern Railway and TfL websites.
2. Charing Cross and Cannon Street are closed
One for Southeastern passengers to be aware of. Charing Cross, Waterloo East, Cannon Street, New Cross and St John's National Rail stations have no services on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 August, with a reduced Southeastern service at London Bridge on these days too.
Services are reinstated at Cannon Street and London Bridge on Monday 29 August, but Charing Cross, Waterloo East, New Cross and St John's remain closed on Monday.
It's due to planned engineering works between Charing Cross and New Cross. Some trains will be diverted into Victoria and Blackfriars, but will be less frequent and journeys will take longer than normal.
Waterloo National Rail station, and London Bridge, Waterloo, Charing Cross and Cannon Street tube stations are unaffected and operate as normal (except the Waterloo & City line, which never runs on weekends or bank holidays).
Full details on the Southeastern website.
3. Fenchurch Street station closure
On Sunday 28 and Monday 29 August, C2C trains — which would usually start or terminate at Fenchurch Street station — are diverted into Liverpool Street instead, due to points work between Fenchurch Street and Barking. Services will call additionally at Stratford to allow for connections to West Ham station.
Full details on the C2C website.
4. No trains to and from Moorgate
Great Northern lines between Finsbury Park and Moorgate are closed all weekend, meaning no services to/from Moorgate. These services are diverted to terminate and start at King's Cross, with London buses or the Northern line offered as an alternative between King's Cross and Moorgate.
Northern line tube services through Moorgate are unaffected, and operate as usual.
Full details on Great Northern website.
5. Notting Hill Carnival
The first full in-person Notting Hill Carnival since 2019 takes place this bank holiday weekend, attracting huge crowds to west London. Whether you're heading to Carnival itself, or just passing through the area en-route to somewhere else, be prepared for serious crowds, and possible service disruptions.
You'd do well to avoid the area if possible. There will be road closures which will affect motorists and bus routes. On the tube, the stations surrounding the carnival area (Ladbroke Grove, Latimer Road, Notting Hill Gate, Westbourne Park, Holland Park, Royal Oak, Bayswater, Queensway), may be closed for periods at short notice to prevent overcrowding, with a knock-on effect on stations further down the line as people seek alternative ways into the area.
Keep an eye on the TfL journey planner for latest updates.
The above is not a complete list of the travel closures and disruptions over the August bank holiday — it's just a selection of the alterations likely to affect a lot of people. Check with TfL or your train operating company for details of other disruption and any last-minute changes.
