Major transformation is afoot at London Transport Museum.
Ahead of celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2030, the Covent Garden museum — which opened inside the Victorian flower market building in March 1980 — has revealed plans for a "once in a generation" glow-up.
These include a 'new' entrance on Covent Garden Piazza (technically the current entrance is already on the Piazza, via the gift shop, but the mock-up above suggests use will be made of an existing adjacent doorway.)
An extra 500 square metres will also be freed up inside the museum "for improved galleries and learning experiences", to include LTM50, an area "celebrating London's journey from Victorian innovation to the capital of tomorrow." What that means in terms of brand new exhibits, we're not yet sure.
The museum will remain open throughout the revamp, which will also include "major environmental upgrades" and "upgraded visitor facilities". It's not yet clear when works will commence.
Though 2030 marks 50 years since the collection came to Covent Garden as the London Transport Museum, it already spans back further than half a century — first going on public display as part of the Museum of British Transport during the 1960s (housed in a former bus garage in Clapham), then from 1973, as the London Transport Collection at Syon Park, west London.
For a time, there was also a shop next to Edgware Road station selling London Transport merch — a source of income that's grown ever-lucrative over the decades.
Recently, the London Museum (formerly the Museum of London) announced it will open its doors on Saturday 28 November 2026.
