Capital may reach ‘bursting point’
Officials are preparing for the ‘‘very real possibility’’ that London will become ‘‘full’’ for the first time.
The Cabinet Office has drawn up plans to deal with millions of mourners descending on the capital in the run-up to the state funeral.
If numbers in the city reach bursting point, rail operators will be told to ask passengers not to attempt to travel into London.
‘‘There is real concern the capital will reach bursting point,’’ a rail source said. ‘‘All the planning has been done by the Cabinet Office as part of Operation London Bridge and it will be for officials to tell the rail industry to instruct passengers not to travel.’’
Rail operators are warning passengers to expect long queues and extremely busy services in the coming week. The Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operating companies, has told passengers that it will not be possible to view the funeral in London next Monday and then travel to Windsor.
‘‘People should plan to view one or the other and allow plenty of time to travel to either location,’’ said Jason Webb, customer information director at Rail Delivery.
In an attempt to ease crowding, passengers who booked to travel in the week before the announcement of the Queen’s death and whose plans change will be offered refunds.
The Department for Transport is also understood to be working with the Cabinet Office as final preparations are made for the state funeral.
Andy Byford, the commissioner of Transport for London, said: ‘‘Roads and public transport in central London will be very busy, so we advise everyone to allow plenty of extra time for their journeys and to avoid driving where possible.
‘‘All Londoners and visitors to the capital should check before they travel, using the latest realtime travel information, which is available on our TFL Go app and on tfl.gov.uk.’’