TfL expects up to 1m mourners in palace area of London for Queen’s funeral
About 1 million people are expected to visit the central London area around the royal palaces for the Queen’s funeral, making it one of the busiest days ever for the capital’s transport network.
The Transport for London commissioner, Andy Byford, said there had been “huge numbers of additional passengers” using services since the Queen’s death on 8 September, but demand would “reach a climax” on Monday.
“We’re ready for probably one of the busiest days Transport for London has ever faced. It’s hard to say exactly how many additional people [will travel], but we’re preparing for potentially a million people just within the footprint of the royal palaces and Hyde Park,” Byford said.
Visitors have been warned that the network could be overwhelmed if too many people travel home directly after the funeral procession leaves Westminster shortly after noon, with transport bosses urging mourners to delay their journeys and check for travel updates.
The chair of Network Rail, Sir Peter Hendy said it was the biggest public transport operation since the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games, and warned that trains would be “extremely busy”.
“We’re working closely with all train operators to run extra trains through the day and into the night,” he said.
“To help us provide the best possible experience and avoid lengthy queues at stations we’re asking people not to rush home after the funeral and the processions, but to take their time and experience London on this memorable day.”
The latest figures from Trainline show that the demand for services into London on Monday is 56% above the level recorded for the same day the previous week.
About 250 extra rail services will run on the day of the funeral – including some overnight trains – and
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