Night Tube won’t start running again until 2022, TfL boss Andy Byford reveals

 (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

London’s “night tube” services will not return before the end of the year at the earliest in a major blow to clubs, bars and restaurants hoping to rebuild their businesses after a year of huge disruption.

Transport Commissioner Andy Byford told the Standard that the Friday and Saturday through the night services on the Victoria, Jubilee, Central, Northern and Piccadilly lines will be the last to return to normal after the pandemic.

He said: ”We need the personnel to keep the day services going and frankly there isn’t the demand for it, so there are no immediate plans to restore the Night Tube within a year, and certainly not before 2022.

“Securing the whole network is more important than keeping the night tube going.”

He said late night drinkers, diners and clubbers would be able to use night buses instead.

However, the lengthy delay in restoring 24 hour services seen as vital to London’s huge late night economy when it fully reopens in June was met with dismay by industry leaders.

Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association, said the decision was “an absolute travesty.”

He added: ”You have huge venues like Printworks and Studio 338 in Greenwich where the night tube is fundamental to the safe dispersal of audiences, so this is a fundamental flaw in TfL’s planning.”

Simon Thomas, chief executive of the Hippodrome casino on Leicester Square, which normally operates round the clock said: “It’s complete nonsense. The night tube was brought in to support the progressive 24-hour ambitions of London, and it’s more essential now than ever before.

“Stop putting hurdles in the way of a true West End recovery and face facts. We need a reliable transport infrastructure that serves all audiences. People want to experience everything London has to offer and support the recovery of thousands of night time businesses. So let them do this.”

Nightclubs will not reopen until the last stage of the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown on June 21. But many late night bars and restaurants will be fully back in business with social distancing on May 17.

Getty Images
Getty Images

However, the number of people using London’s transport networks are expected to start rising rapidly from Monday when “non-essential” shops reopen and pubs and restaurants can start serving outside.

Mr Byford said he expected use of the Underground network to rise from around 25 per cent of normal currently to around 40 to 45 per cent of pre-Covid levels from next week.

He sought to reassure Londoners and other travellers that the network is safe to use even with the increased numbers of passengers.

He said a daily cleaning regime using hospital grade disinfectants, UV light sanitising dsevices on escalators and 1000 hand sanitising points across the network meant that it has “never been cleaner.”

He said a recent Imperial College sample of air and touch points had found “zero traces” of coronavirus.

Flows of passengers onto trains will be managed by staff backed up by Metropolitan and Transport police officers to ensure social distancing of one metre is maintained and passengers will continue to be required to wear face masks.

Mr Byford said: “Platform staff will be making announcements asking if people could wait for the next train, but it is going to be a challenge there is no doubt about it.” Station entrances will be closed if necessary to stop them becoming too crowded.

Passengers will be encouraged to avoid the morning and evening rush hours .

Frequent door opening, air extraction systems and natural circulation through tunnels means that the air in carriages should change more than 20 times an hour, far more than six to 12 times recommended by the Rail Safety and Standard Board.

MrByford said:” Please be patient and wait for the next service, if necessary, to maintain social distancing. There is plenty of spare capacity available so long as we all work together to spread journeys across the day. “ 

Transport for London modelling suggests that use of the Underground will steadily rise to around 80 per cent of normal within a year to 18 months.

Apart from the night tube the only other suspended service, the Waterloo & City line, is expected to return in “the next couple of months” Mr Byford said.

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